I’m not sure how to react to this. Lizze brought this to my attention yesterday. This article ran in the Canton Repository and honestly is pretty scary. I haven’t written much about our neighborhood in awhile because things have been relatively quiet.

We’ve had things happen but nothing like last year with the stabbing/shooting and drive by shooting that we were in the middle of or happened right in front of our house.

The last major thing to have happened was our van being stolen 7 months ago.

However, this new information has me worried about our safety once again. There have been a string of seemingly random shootings this month. The article doesn’t go into great detail about the bulk of them but focuses on the last 2.

Both of these shootings happened within about a block or so from our house.

These people were shot for absolutely no reason. they were innocent and victims of random violence. This worries me because it could happen to anyone.

Here is the article, quoted from the Canton Repository.

CANTON — The number of shootings this month rose to eight as two more people were shot overnight in Canton in unrelated incidents. A 31-year-old northeast Canton man told police he was walking at Ninth Street NE and O’Jays Parkway at 10:40 p.m. Wednesday when he was confronted by two men who, unprovoked, shot him in both legs, said Capt. Dave Davis, who heads the police department’s Detective Bureau.

Police found shell casings at the scene. Canton firefighter/paramedics took him to Mercy Medical Center. His condition was not available early Thursday. Then, between 2 and 2:30 a.m. Thursday, a 30-year-old homeless woman was shot, Davis said. She told police she was walking at 12th Street and Shorb Avenue NW when an unknown person in a dark car shot her in the leg for no reason.

The shooter had fired two rounds. Police said she drove herself to Aultman Hospital. Her condition also was unknown Thursday morning. Davis said that while detectives continued to investigate Thursday, they did not believe the shootings were related.

He asked, however, anyone with information about either shooting to call detectives at 330-489-3144. Police reports show that, since Aug. 1, officers have been called to eight shootings. And they’re not all in the same area.

Those are listed as:

• Aug. 6 – 1100 block 14th St. NE;

• Aug. 7 – 12th Street and Shorb Avenue NW;

• Aug. 9 – Wilson Place and Shorb Avenue NW;

• Aug. 9 – 1600 block of 20th St. NE

• Aug. 12 – 3100 block of Ellis Ave. NE

• Tuesday – 900 block of Kingston Drive SE

• Wednesday – 12th Street and Shorb Avenue NW;

• Thursday – Ninth Street NE and O’Jays Parkway.

Earlier reports indicated there may have been as many as 11 shootings this month, but police later ruled out three of those after closer investigation.

How is one supposed to react to this? We’ve been letting the kids play outside. Should we continue to do so? It appears these happened at night. Does that mean we’re safe during the day?