TOLEDO, Ohio — The community is still reeling after the shooting of three children at the Byrneport Apartments in south Toledo.
Four-year-old Ashtan Phillips is in critical, but stable condition. His brothers, one-year-old Gabriel and five-year-old Ahmir were killed, allegedly by their mother's boyfriend, Kevin Moore, Friday.
City Councilwoman at-large Cerssandra McPherson is condemning the violence and calling on the community to start conversations about domestic violence and knowing your neighbors.
"We need to be our brothers and sisters keeper," she said. "We need to reach out, even in a pandemic."
McPherson is calling on the community to start focusing on each other to heal. She wants neighbors to start looking out for each other to keep them safe.
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"Some of us will live here and never feel safe again," she added. "That's a reality. But we need to make it so that everyone feels safe. Wherever you live."
Stefania Czech has lived at Byrneport for almost a decade. In that time, she says domestic violence has been an issue and we need to start talking about it more.
"As a community as neighbors, did we fail this family?" she said, "Did some of us living close to her not see signs?"
Alan Aiken, who lives right next to the family's home, had a snowball fight with the Phillips kids just a day before the shooting. He says we need to start looking out for each other and speaking up if something is wrong because our children are dying.
"Do you think people are scared to do that? Yes." he said. "They think it's too nosey. Yea snitches but it's not that kids come first, they need to live the life. I lived my life."
Moore is scheduled to be arraigned in Toledo Municipal Court Monday morning.