The City of Pittsburgh is launching initiatives to help curtail the increasing gun violence in the city.
At a press conference Thursday, Pittsburgh Public Safety said homicides are up 55 percent this year. In 93 percent of those cases, a gun was used. Since the beginning of the year, 31 people have been killed in Pittsburgh.
Preeti Tuli's 18-year-old son Ahmir Tuli was tragically one of them.
He was shot and killed outside his mother's Strip District restaurant, Preeti's Pit, in February.
Police say he was killed by Howard Hawkins, who was kicked out of the bar earlier that night. Hawkins is still on the run.
Through tears Thursday, Preeti Tulli discussed the pain of losing her young son, who was just taking a break from work when he was killed.
"I just feel like, as a community, it doesn't make sense we're taking kids who had their whole lives ahead of them," she said. "Everybody is impacted. I'm tired of going to the grave to go talk to my son."
The increase in gun violence in Pittsburgh is an issue many other cities are struggling with.
Public Safety believes the pandemic made a lot of preventative efforts more challenging and played a role in the uptick.
"People are not just resolving their issues," said Pittsburgh Police assistant chief Lavonnie Bickerstaff. "The first thing they want to do is pick up a gun and shoot somebody."
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Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert said the City is launching new initiatives to help stop the violence, but they need the community's help.
"You tell me people don't know who has guns? You tell me these different shootings that have happened - a friend, a family member, somebody else didn't that gun at some point and do nothing? This stuff has got to stop," said Schubert. "And we're gonna use every partner we have to make sure that happens."
The initiatives will aim to increase patrols, remove illegal weapons from the street and work to interreact with young people in the communities to prevent gun violence.
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Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich says gun violence is almost a daily occurrence in Pittsburgh.