Young black people are killing each other in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

WWLTV:

Sheriff Harry Lee said the murder rate in Jefferson Parish is skyrocketing and he blames young African-Americans involved in the drug trade.

Lee also wanted to emphasize that outside of a few high-crime areas, predominately on the west bank, he feels residents of Jefferson Parish are safe.

“No matter how you cut it, whether it’s a racist statement or not, in Jefferson Parish the murder rate is going out of site because our young black people are killing each other,” said Lee in a press conference he called to address the soaring crime rate.

Lee said the majority of shootings are young African-American males shooting each other over drugs.

Lee said the crime was mostly on the west bank and limited to a handful of high crime areas. He said he planned to start installing video cameras in those areas that his deputies could monitor in real time.

But Lee was quick to add that Jefferson Parish residents who are not in those high crime areas and not involved in drug activity, have little to fear.

“If you live, shop, dine in Jefferson Parish, if you go about your business. If you go to a restaurant, there’s no problem,” he said. “The people that are being killed, the soaring murder rate is in places where there’s violence.”

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