(A quote from the story has been modified to reflect the correct manner of speaking.)

SALISBURY — After shootings in Salisbury killed a 21-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man over the weekend, Salisbury Police Chief P.J. Smith went in front of the Salisbury City Council on Tuesday to address the department’s response.

Shaleek Williams, a father of six, was killed on Saturday when he was shot while attending a memorial service at the Jersey City Park. Alyssia Adkins, a nurse and former basketball standout at Mount Airy High School, was killed early Sunday morning in a shooting at the American Legion Building on Old Wilkesboro Road.

Smith said that state and federal agencies, including the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations and the FBI, have stepped up to assist the department with the investigation.

“It is an ongoing investigation, so there’s not a lot of details I can give you, other than that we do have some good, strong leads,” said Smith during the presentation.

Smith also noted that the weekend was disastrous for the city, with police reports listing five shootings into occupied property and gunshot incidents being reported.

“Year-to-date, before this weekend, violent crime was down 10 percent. After this weekend, in 24 hours, violent crime is up year-to-date three percent. That’s how big of a hit we took in 24 hours,” said Smith.

Smith also said that officers have volunteered to pick up more hours in order to help the department have a larger presence in areas identified as areas of focus or concern throughout the city. Smith said that the decisions are based on crime data analytics, which outline areas that are more likely to have violent crimes in certain times so that officers can focus on prevention in certain parts of the city.

Several members of the community and the city council took the opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns in the official capacity afforded by the meeting.

“On Sunday, as I was visiting a community member on their front porch, gunshots sounded off,” said resident Kaisha Brown. “The fear, the uncertainty, because a bullet has no name, is what occurred. This is something that the people in that community live with daily, from what I’ve been told. Our police department serves as the frontline defense in safeguarding our neighborhoods. They cannot do this alone. They need the resources, the support and the collaboration of our entire community to truly thrive.”

Mayor Karen Alexander and City Manager Jim Greene Jr. took the opportunity to extend their sympathies and say that the city is placing the highest priority on ensuring the safety of its residents.

“When we say the health and safety of our residents is our top priority, we mean it. For you to feel safe in your own home, while visiting a park or while walking down our streets or having a family gathering. The tragic incidents over this past weekend should spur continued calls to action from our entire community,” said Alexander.

Smith said that he believes that the department cannot manage a response to the shootings alone and asked the community to provide any assistance they could. Ways to provide information to investigators anonymously included calling 704-638-5333 and leaving a voicemail, texting TIPMYSALISBURY to 888777, messaging the department on Facebook and visiting salisburync.gov/ReportACrime to upload photos or videos anonymously.

Councilmember Anthony Smith said during the council comments period that a community-wide vigil will be held at 6 a.m. on May 5 at the intersection of Church and West Innes streets in response to the recent violence.

Williams’ family has started a GoFundMe to assist with funeral costs which can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/shaleek-williams.