LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Almost ten years ago, Derek Olivier was helping a group of men change a flat tire across from Arkansas Baptist College when he was shot and killed.
He was not the intended target, but at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Now, Arkansas Baptist College has the Derek Olivier Research Institute that analyzes trends on violence and provides a way to deter crime.
Every year, the college honors the life of Olivier on the week of his birthday and talks about how it can prevent something like this from happening again.
Monday night, dozens gathered around the parking lot where Olivier was shot and killed in the summer of 2012.
Some, like Genett Hood, know that feeling too well. She lost two of her sons in the span of a year. One of them was shot and killed.
"We need to stop killing one another. This needs to stop," said Hood.
Sadly, this year in Little Rock we are seeing a high homicide rate.
According to the City of Little Rock, there have been 50 homicides through September 20th this year... at this time last year, there were only 36.
That's a 39% increase.
"You can't talk about seeking solutions with just leaving the police out there and letting it be all on them. This is not a policing problem, this is a community problem," said Edmond Davis, the Derek Olivier Research Institute Director.
The Derek Olivier Research Institute said some of those solutions include accessible education, more employment opportunities, and bringing awareness to critical needs in underserved communities.
The City of Little Rock saw one other homicide after the report cut-off date of last Monday. Counting the new one last week, we have now had 51 this year.