PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — So far in 2024, Portsmouth has already seen an alarming amount of violent crime.

Five people, including a teenager, have been shot and killed in the city. The People’s Pastor, Barry Randall-Jenkins, called it shocking and said fixing the violence starts at home.

“I would say it comes from the lack of parental control,” Randall-Jenkins said. “A lot of our citizens, especially people of color, we lack conflict resolution skills. We lack empathy for our fellow brothers and sisters here.”

He told 10 On Your Side he believes a lack of education contributes to the rate of crime.

“As I drive through the city during the week, I see children in the streets at dawn school hours,” Randall-Jenkins said. “And again, we now have affordable, free public education. And I think a lot of that comes from poverty and it comes from illiteracy, and that’s the recipe for crime.”

He said the responsibility of making Portsmouth a better place also falls on the shoulders of the city.

He praised city officials for the work they’ve done, but also said no one sees it because of the saturation of violence.

“We have so many great positive things happening in the city, but it’s overshadowed because, again, we have people that don’t understand how to handle their emotions,” Randall-Jenkins said. “So, they’re reaching for guns. They don’t understand that you can talk your problems out. You don’t always have to shoot and kill someone because that is final.”

Randall-Jenkins is holding an upcoming meeting with city leaders on Feb. 19 to discuss how to move Portsmouth forward.