Shooting at 7th and Hill Street.jpg

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Nine people, including three children, were injured in six separate shootings in a matter of hours Tuesday in Louisville. 

The shootings bring Louisville to at least 147 reported in 2021, according to Christopher 2X of Game Changers. Of those shootings, 113, including the six from Tuesday, were nonfatal.

The first of Tuesday's shootings happened around 3 p.m. in the Algonquin neighborhood. A teenage boy was in a car stopped at a traffic light near Seventh and Hill streets with his mother and sister when someone began shooting. The boy was shot in the back, and a family friend said his sister was grazed by a bullet.

The friend said the teen is a duPont Manual High School student, and the family was headed to his track practice when the gunfire began.

Pictures of the scene show a car riddled with bullets. Louisville Metro Police investigators said the family was not a target and that the shooting was random. 

About an hour later, around 4 p.m., officers with LMPD's First Division responded to a shooting at South 22nd and West Madison streets, near West Broadway, in the Russell neighborhood. Once on scene, officers found a woman who had been shot. She was transported to University of Louisville Hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening.

A 2-year-old boy riding his bike nearby suffered a graze wound as a result of the shooting, LMPD Officer Beth Ruoff said in a statement. There are also no suspects in this case. 

Several other shootings were reported, including one at 9:15 p.m. in the 1700 block of South 36th Street, near Russell Lee Park, in the Park DuValle neighborhood. Officers with LMPD's Second Division responding to the scene located a man in his early 20s who had been shot, Ruoff said. He was transported to University Hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening, according to LMPD. 

Another shooting was also reported in the Park DuValle neighborhood, near Wilson Avenue and Algonquin Park. Second Division officers responding around 9:30 p.m. to South 28th Street and West Gaulbert Avenue found a man and a woman, both in their 20s, with gunshot wounds, Ruoff said. Both victims were transported to University Hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening.

LMPD officers responded to another shooting report just after 10 p.m. between South 28th and South 26th streets in the Parkland neighborhood. Second Division officers responding to the 2700 block of Greenwood Avenue found a man in his early 30s who had been shot, Ruoff said. He was also transported to University Hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening. 

There are no suspects in any of the cases. 

Retired LMPD Officer Dr. Steven Kelsey with the Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods works as a faith-based liaison who helps those involved in gun violence heal by focusing on the psychological trauma that one endures after the bullets stop flying. 

"A lot of choices are being made for people," Kelsey said of the increasing violence. "We can't excuse people for some of the behaviors they do, but when there are lack of funds of your neighborhood and your community is underserved, some of the choices you are making have already been made for you by virtue of your environment."

It's investments into organizations like the Louisville Urban League that Kelsey said can help curb the violence. While the solution may start with investments in areas where gun violence is especially prevalent, Kelsey said progress continues with courage. 

"Even though everybody wants the police to solve crimes, are you going to be the person to come and identify that person and say, 'Yes, that's the person that did it,' and now you and your family are a target?" Kelsey said. "In the 25 years I policed, people know who is doing what, but people are really scared to say this is the person. And I don't blame them. If we want these problems to turn into solutions, we have to be willing to step out, be bold and be brave enough."

The shootings marked a violent Tuesday in Louisville, with a suspect shot by Louisville Metro Police officers after a police chase ended in the West Buechel neighborhood around 3 p.m. Ruoff said officers rendered aid to the suspect, who was transported to University of Louisville Hospital to be treated for his injuries. 

A sixth shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night on Hinchbrook Boulevard, off Dixie Highway near Valley Station. That's where police said a man was shot in the head and arm.

LMPD said all of the victims are expected to survive. So far, no arrests have been made, and police ask the public to come forward with information by calling the LMPD crime tip line at 502-574-LMPD (5673). Callers can remain anonymous. 

Related Stories:

Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.