Teen’s death spurs police outreach

NORRISTOWN » By almost every empirical measure, crime, and in particular violent crime, has subsided in the municipality since Police Chief Mark Talbot Sr. took over in late 2013.

That trend continued into this year, with the exception of one troubling metric — gun violence.

And perhaps no incident of gun violence galvanized the community and law enforcement to act in response to this tragic trend as much as the shooting death of 16-year-old Jordan Scott on an otherwise tranquil night in early summer. The shooting also left a second teen injured.

Scott was gunned down in broad daylight in the 600 block of Chain Street July 6 in an instance of what Talbot called “expressive violence,” in which provocation Alex Scott, right, in the orange jersey, attends a vigil in memory of his son Jordan on Chain Street in Norristown, Friday, July 7, 2017. Jordan, 16, was fatally shot July 6 at Chain near Blackberry Alley.

between neighborhood groups sparks violent action, then sets a retaliatory cycle in motion.

Although the men charged in the killing William Durell Wilson, 30, who police say acted as the getaway driver, and Isaiah Freeman, just 18 himself at the time, whom police accuse of being the triggerman were apprehended within a month of the shooting, Scott’s killing galvanized the community to seek justice, accountability, and most of all, and end to the violence.

The effort began with a solemn candlelight vigil held the day after Scott’s death in which dozens of residents, family members and friends gathered at the spot where the shooting occurred.

Despite a torrential downpour, they prayed, mourned and marched in memory of a young life gone too soon.

But it didn’t stop there. Throughout the rest of the summer, community members came together under the leadership of activist Buck Jones, District Judge Gregg Scott, the Rev. Byron Craig, municipal council members and others to hold a series of prayer vigils, peace gatherings and community meetings calling for substantive change.

Part of that change came when Talbot and his leadership team devised a 40-point plan to reduce gun violence in Norristown.

As summer was winding down, with 15 shooting incidents in the municipality on the books, the police department unveiled the initiative which calls for a greater focus on hot spots and so-called “impact players,” more community involvement, including the formation of a citizens advisory board, a crackdown on drug markets and overall enhancement of crime reduction strategies related to tamping down gun violence.

It remains too early to say definitively if the strategy is working, although shooting incidents have tapered off in recent months, and the tensions on Norristown streets seem to have cooled with the weather.

The fate of Freeman and Wilson — who were each charged with first and third-degree murder, but spared the death penalty — is also uncertain. They will both head to trial in early 2018 and could face mandatory life sentences or decades behind bars if convicted.

But one thing is for sure: The tragic shooting death of Jordan Scott was a wakeup call that the community and local officials have tried their best to answer. He did not die in vain.