DAVENPORT, Iowa — In response to a shooting that left the Davenport Skybridge and the Figge Art Museum damaged, city leaders held a press conference to address gun violence.
The conference was hosted by Davenport Mayor Mike Matson, Police Chief Paul Sikorski and representatives from NAACP and Davenport Peace on Monday, June 7th. One day after the shots fired incident at the Redstone Ramp over the weekend.
Police say they found 80 shell casings. Approximately 10 windows on the Figge and three windows on the Skybridge were damaged. No injuries were reported.
Surveillance video shows dozens of people gathered on the parking ramp in the moments leading up to the shooting.
You can hear the scanner traffic in the video below and you can see people scattering from the area once gunshots rang out at about 25 seconds in.
Police say officers were nearby at the time of the shooting and while securing the area, attempted to interview people who were on the scene. They say there was limited cooperation.
"Since those present at this scene, our kids, our community members who are present at this scene, refuse to cooperate with authorities, to let us know who was involved with this, who's causing danger in our community," said Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski. "We're now seeking assistance from our community. We need your help."
Reverend Dr. Melvin Grimes, with the NAACP, joined the conference with a simple message: "This is not acceptable."
"The finger pointing, has got to stop," he said. "The saying that "I don't trust anybody" has to stop. Because if it doesn't, then trouble is going to visit somebody on their front doors. And it's going to be another loss of life, which does not make any sense."
He pleaded with the community for information, encouraging residents to be brave, smart and respectful enough to say something.
Police are asking if you know anyone who may be involved in the shooting to please call 563-326-7979.
"We can't rely on a half dozen men who are who are willing to get their hands and their elbows dirty addressing this," said Chief Sikorski. "We need our whole community to do that."
You can watch the full press conference on the WQAD Youtube channel: