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DeSoto Police Chief Joe Costa and Mayor Rachel Proctor discussed recent incidents of gun violence and efforts to improve public safety during a news conference Saturday to announce the arrest of a suspect in a recent shooting.
Evan McMaryion, 19, was arrested in Arizona last week on charges of capital murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He is accused of killing 34-year-old Randall Thornhill of Midlothian on May 15 in DeSoto and wounding 29-year-old Heather French, who is recovering from her injuries.
The shooting was one of several “disturbing” incidents in the city over the last month, but they don’t represent a trend or an overall increase in crime, Proctor said during the news conference.
“We have seen a series of isolated shootings in our community, and the good news is that our police department has acted quickly and aggressively and tracked down and arrested those who are responsible in all of these cases,” she said.
A 16-year-old was taken into custody in connection with the fatal shooting of a teenager in a car last month, and a 22-year-old man was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a man he mistakenly believed to have killed his younger brother, according to DeSoto police.
Police are also hoping to file criminal charges after someone opened fire on a crowd in Zeiger Park last month.
Police added a camera and increased patrols at parks, and Costa said Saturday that he, Proctor and city manager Brandon Wright are working together to develop programs to reduce gun violence.
A gun surrender program is happening in the near future, Costa said.
Costa and Proctor were also asked their thoughts on the nationwide call to “defund the police,” which supporters say isn’t about cutting all police funding, but about spending more on what communities need, such as housing or education.
“I don’t agree with defunding police departments,” Costa said. “I think some funding has to be put into other areas. I don’t think you take it from the police department because I’m sure every police department can use more police officers on the street to help continue investigating crimes.”
Proctor said she wants to make sure the community looks at funding other areas, such as mental health care, while making sure the police department is adequately staffed.
“As mayor, I’m always focused on what does DeSoto need in terms of the needs of our community to make sure that we are servicing our community as much as we can,” she said..
She added that the focus must be on DeSoto and the needs of its police department and said that the city cannot become distracted by the national narrative.
She also sought to reassure DeSoto residents who are concerned about public safety in light of the three recent shootings.
“The community does have a lot of angst when it comes to that,” she said. “But I want the community to know that DeSoto PD is working hard for them behind the scenes. It speaks to the good detective work and good police work they did.”