Louisville's latest homicide happened one block away from this year's first

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Violence has no borders but the scene of Louisville's latest homicide happened one block away from this year's first homicide.

Louisville Metro Police officers in the Second Division were first alerted to gunfire from a ShotSpotter report around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, that was later upgraded to a shooting report in the 2100 block of West Gaulbert Avenue, between West Lee Street and West Hill Street, according to a news release.

That's where responding officers found the male victim, believed to be in his teens, with gunshot wounds. Officers administered first aid to the victim until EMS arrived and took him to UofL Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. A short time later, he died LMPD said.

Tuesday's homicide was not the only call for police to respond to a scene that day. As a WDRB crew drove to the scene of the homicide later in the afternoon, LMPD cruisers drove past.

Three blocks away LMPD responded to a non-fatal stabbing, after a fight broke out between two men around 3 p.m.

"My family lives here, I just, you know pray that they are safe," said Victoria Joslin.

Joslin was visiting her parents who live near West Gaulbert Avenue.

"It's just sad, like it happens so much, it's like I am immune to it," Joslin said.

Tuesday's deadly shooting marked the fourth homicide on the street in 2023, within a span of several blocks.

"It's like the teenagers dying before the adults," Joslin said. "They not even living their life."

Several blocks north of West Gaulbert Avenue, is one of the city's most concentrated areas for homicides. Part of the area between Market and Dumensil Streets and Interstate 264 and South 22nd Street, has seen 16 homicides since Jan. 1. Half of those homicides happened even closer together between West Broadway and Muhammad Ali Blvd.

"My age group, it wasn't so much of the shooting and stuff, but this generation it is," Joslin said. "It's a lot of shooting you know, it's no talking it out, it's no fighting it, it's just shooting so yeah, I am concerned."

2023 is also the fourth year in a row Louisville has surpassed 100 homicides. The city is on pace as last year, marking 109 homicides by the first week of September.

"I've got two boys of my own, my oldest is 15 and I don't want him nowhere out here, I just try to keep him in something," Joslin said. "It's not just Louisville, but Louisville has gotten worse."

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