"In this instance, with what occurred could have been prevented," says Robert Lilly.
A drug transaction gone wrong was the cause of Monday night's shooting that left two children wounded.
The Abilene Police Department held a press conference Tuesday afternoon and emphasized the importance of everyone coming together to combat the issue of violence.
Chief Stan Standridge says, "We have to be mindful, there are more that there are more than 117,000 citizens in this great city and there are only 189 of them. For us to be effective, we must collaborate. "
It is their intent to do so with area non-profits and local churches.
Robert Lilly is a community coordinator for connecting caring communities and spends a lot of time in the holiday hills neighborhood... An area he is no stranger to.
He moved there in 1989 and after creating havoc in the community and being incarcerated, he knew he wanted to commit his life to making a change.
"So what I learned was that I couldn't do it by myself. I needed to be connected to institutions and people in the community," Lilly explains.
People like Chad Mitchell, the founder of Abilene's Stop The Violence program.
"It's our job to create a safe environment, a safe community, and we only do that by building relationships with people," says Mitchell.
Mitchell's organization collaborates with others like CCC to reach out to members of the community in an effort to help APD, and together they urge everyone to come together to stop the violence.
"As long as I have a little something to add to what you have, we've got a start. You don't have to be a genius, you don't have to be a college graduate, you don't have to be a professional. You just have to care," says Lilly.
A drug transaction gone wrong was the cause of Monday night's shooting that left two children wounded.
The Abilene Police Department held a press conference Tuesday afternoon and emphasized the importance of everyone coming together to combat the issue of violence.
Chief Stan Standridge says, "We have to be mindful, there are more that there are more than 117,000 citizens in this great city and there are only 189 of them. For us to be effective, we must collaborate. "
It is their intent to do so with area non-profits and local churches.
Robert Lilly is a community coordinator for connecting caring communities and spends a lot of time in the holiday hills neighborhood... An area he is no stranger to.
He moved there in 1989 and after creating havoc in the community and being incarcerated, he knew he wanted to commit his life to making a change.
"So what I learned was that I couldn't do it by myself. I needed to be connected to institutions and people in the community," Lilly explains.
People like Chad Mitchell, the founder of Abilene's Stop The Violence program.
"It's our job to create a safe environment, a safe community, and we only do that by building relationships with people," says Mitchell.
Mitchell's organization collaborates with others like CCC to reach out to members of the community in an effort to help APD, and together they urge everyone to come together to stop the violence.
"As long as I have a little something to add to what you have, we've got a start. You don't have to be a genius, you don't have to be a college graduate, you don't have to be a professional. You just have to care," says Lilly.
