‘Really concerning;’ Juveniles arrested with guns on the rise in Dayton, police say

DAYTON — There has been a 10 day stretch of violence involving young people with guns and young victims of gunfire.

As News Center 7 previously reported, seven people were shot during a drive-by shooting on Home Avenue.

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22-year-old Donna Zile and 18-year-old Jhakavion Casey were killed. Two 17-year-old females, two 18-year-old males, and a 20-year-old female were also injured in the shooting.

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Police suspect the people in the two SUVs that drove by and began firing are also very young.

News Center 7 obtained a Dayton police report which show an explosion of Juveniles, teens 17 and under, arrested with guns. The number rose from 24 in 2020 to 94 last year, the same pace of juveniles arrested so far this year.

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Police are worried about illegal guns at the pop-up parties they are trying to stop.

“If you’re under 21 you can’t have a handgun, if you’re drinking you can’t be in possession of a handgun,” said Dayton Police Major Brian Johns.

Community members say even if young people are 21 and over, they seem to be too aggressive with their use of weapons.

“It’s really concerning especially how they’re getting guns at such a young age,” said Chyna Wheeler, who is hopeful the July 4th holiday will bring the city some peace.

She believes one of the biggest dangers of guns in the hands of young people and teens is their lack of conflict resolution skills.

“Younger people , when they have guns tend to act out of anger or raw emotions, rather than thinking,” she said.

Dayton police say they are working hard to gather information about pop-up parties and try to interrupt them before they begin.

They say you can also help this problem by making sure no teens have access to any of your weapons.

We will continue updating this story.

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