Marion City Council holds special meeting on gun violence

MARION COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - Marion City Council held a special meeting Friday to raise awareness of the rise of gun violence in the city.

The meeting was called in the aftermath of an incident last week where a man was shot and killed with witnesses telling officers that multiple people were seen shooting guns.

“It was very important because we are a small community and we don’t want to have this happening in our community,” said Mayor of Marion Ashley Brady.

The council invited Marion Chief of Police Tony Flowers, Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace, and SLED agent Richard Johnson to speak at the meeting about the increase in gun violence in Marion over the past few years.

“In 2020 and 2021, we’ve seen alarming homicide rates,” said Sheriff Wallace. “Those homicide rates, a majority of them dealing with mental health issues or family domestic issues, are the highest numbers I’ve seen in my 23 years in law enforcement.”

The officers also lamented the lack of proper staffing to deal with the rise in crime due to the inability to pay as good of a wage as surrounding law enforcement agencies.

One of the ideas expressed in the meeting to help solve this issue includes adding a crime safety app and hotline on top of police drop boxes to anonymously give tips to police.

Wallace said support and feedback from local residents are key in order to reducing gun violence in Marion.

“We want to just have a good rapport with the citizens so that they trust law enforcement and we can work with them,” said Wallace. “We want to. We want to do everything we can.”

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