‘Bullets don’t have names’: Mullins police chief, leaders work to stop ‘senseless violence’

MULLINS, S.C. (WMBF) - In the past few weeks, the Mullins Police Department has gotten at least two to three calls about ‘shots fired’ incidents each week.

The department said this isn’t typical and is now urging community members to stay vigilant.

“It has to stop, like, we have to be able to take our community back,” said resident DeJunae Pickett Floyd.

Mayor Robert Woodbury posted a message to Facebook recently, assuring community members that city officials are working on solutions.

“To be a community so small, and to be impacted in such a huge way, it’s very devastating to everybody,” said Miko Pickett, Mullins resident and executive director of Pick 42 Foundation. “People are confused, we’re all confused.”

Captain Phil Mostowski with the police department said in a typical week, the department might get one ‘shots fired’ call or even none.

“I would have to say, for the city, this is the biggest influx of shots fired calls, gun calls, gun related calls that I’ve probably seen in the last 25 years,” said Mostowski.

Mostowski said most of these incidents, including one that happened Monday night, are all in the same area -- on the east end near Wine Street. Fortunately, no one has been hurt or killed. But, there have been 3 homicides just outside city limits in the past two weeks.

“What we are concerned about and what the citizens are concerned about is because bullets don’t have names, that innocent bystanders, or people who are just sleeping in their residence could be accidentally shot,” said Mostowski.

Meanwhile, people like Floyd and Pickett are taking action. Floyd came up with the ‘Mullins Strong’ campaign.

“Looking down at the timelines on our Facebook page and our social media pages, all you see are heartbreaks and pictures of loved ones that are being lost from all of the shootings and the violence that’s going on, and I feel that as a community as a whole, we’ve had enough,” said Floyd.

Floyd said they will be working to spread awareness, including holding vigils. Pickett said her organization, Pick 42, will continue working with organizations to support residents, with the goal of making sure they don’t turn to violence.

Activists and officers agree that nothing will happen without the community’s help.

“That’s why we’re saying ‘enough’ it’s really up to us,” said Pickett. “I encourage people, if you see violence in your community, you’ve got to speak up.”

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