LANSING, Mich. — The latest victim of Lansing’s gun violence was 63-year-old Ted Lawson. The well know political canvasser was shot and killed Sunday afternoon on North Jenison Avenue.
“I’m still shocked,” said Trini Lopez-Pehlivanoglu.
While officers aren’t confirming the details of what led to the shooting, at large council candidate Lopez-Pehlivanoglu said Lawson was shot while doing work on her campaign.
“He was knocking on doors, talking to people, talking to them about me and my campaign when the event happened,” Lopez-Pehlivanoglu.
Police later revealed that the suspect involved was a 15-year-old boy. The teen was later charged as an adult with open murder, felony firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.
Aaron Blankenburg is a community activist who spent over 15 years doing work to prevent youth gun violence, and while the motive of Lawson’s accused killer is unclear, Blankenburg is pushing one solution to prevent youth from being involved in gun violence.
“Anytime you see a city that doesn't have youth leagues and things for the kids to do, the crime rate rises. Less activities for kids, higher the crime rate,” Blankenburg said.
But gun violence isn’t just an issue among youth. So far this year, Lansing police said a total of 9 people died after being shot in the city.
“Everybody is talking right now, we are trying to figure out what we could do moving forward,” Councilman Ryan Kost said.
Kost said one solution that stands out is gun owners taking full responsibility over their weapons.
“What we need to address is when that gun goes from legal into someone's hands that is not legal,” Kost said.
Kost said the city should be expecting gun violence prevention resolutions to be coming down the pipeline in the future. Meanwhile, friends of Lawson’s are focusing on healing and making sure his legacy lives on.
“I hope Ted knows how much I cared about him and how much the community loved and respected him,” said Lopez-Pehlivanoglu.
