SPD: Homicides and attempted murders down in 2017
Fewer people were killed in Salinas in 2017 than the year before. It’s actually the second year in a row that homicides have dropped.
Salinas saw 29 homicides in 2017. Most were on the east side. Victims ranged from 15 year old Jesus Hernandez who was shot on Mae Avenue, to 68 year old Pastor Herb Valero who was stabbed by a parishioner.
Those numbers are down, compared to what we’ve seen in recent years. In 2015, the homicide rate reached an all-time high of 40, and in 2016, there were 36 homicides in Salinas.
“I think anytime that our shootings are down, it’s always important to look at those things but I’m also very cautious to the fact that our numbers have fluctuated wildly over the years and we’ve gone from really low numbers to really high numbers the following year and vice versa, and trying to put a label on what causes that, it’s really almost impossible to do,” said Commander Stan Cooper.
Seven people were arrested for those crimes last year, including one man who was a suspect in a double homicide. Police also made four arrests in killings that happened in other years.
But there are other families still looking for justice, like Misty Arias. Her son, Andy, was shot and killed in 2016. She said she wants homicides to be top priority because cases, including her son’s, are going cold.
She and other parents created a Cold Case website in November, to make sure the victims won’t be forgotten and in an attempt to generate more leads.
“If we don’t advocate for them, no one else is going to and as a victim, I realize we need change and it starts with us, we need to all start taking accountability and responsibility for these homicides in our streets,” Arias said.
She thinks by treating the victims as family and not just unknown faces, could spark change.
“We need to pay attention and as our community stop thinking that this is not our problem,” Arias said. “Until we take accountability and responsibility in our community, this is our problem as a community.”
