Vigil in Vallejo after man, 65, shot in neighborhood troubled by crime

County, city and community leaders gathered for a vigil Thursday in Vallejo after a 65-year-old man was shot and killed in a neighborhood that's seen an increase in crime.

"We have had enough. This is not acceptable," said Councilmember JR Matulac, who represents the Crest neighborhood. "The gun violence and the murders that are happening here are not acceptable. We as a City Council have been doing everything that we can and asking the police to do more."

Latest homicide victim 65 years old

What we know:

The most recent violence happened at about 9 a.m. Friday when George Lee, 65, was shot and killed on Griffin Drive behind Fairgrounds Plaza.

Lee, who was well-known in the area as a man who traveled by scooter, died at the scene. 

A man who works in the plaza pointed at boarded-up windows at Kings Market, the result of a shooting in June when two women were shot and wounded.

"Honestly, this has become a daily occurrence at this point," said the man, who didn't want his name used. "We just try to stay inside, stay safe whenever we hear any booms, any pops, any type of loud noises. We just lay down right away. Just try to stay out of everybody's business."

Vallejo Mayor Andrea Sorce said, "We see you, we hear you, we're not going to allow this to be normalized."

The mayor said the city has allocated $100,000 for violence-intervention services and is trying to get help from Solano County sheriff's deputies to help patrol Vallejo.

"I want to focus on us being together in community, and celebrating and appreciating the people doing the hard work in this community while we mourn and develop our path forward," Sorce said.

Earlier violence injured girl, 4

The backstory:

Many of the same community advocates spoke out back in January, when a 4-year-old girl was critically wounded in a shootout in the same neighborhood.

"Hurt people hurt people, but healed people heal people, and as a survivor, I know that it's imperative that we get the healing resources in our community, ASAP," said Ebony Antoine, founder of Broken by Violence.

Tinisch Collins, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice agreed, saying, "It takes intentionality, it takes commitment, and so today moving forward we want the rest of Vallejo and the rest of the Bay Area to know that this is not the place to come and commit violence."

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan

The Source: Community advocates, previous KTVU reporting, Vallejo police

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