DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — After two shootings at the same strip mall in 24 hours, and only a week after the murders of a 29-year-old woman and her 7-year-old niece, DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said she remains committed to public safety.
The shootings at the Hairston Square shopping center on S. Hairston Road happened on Friday and Saturday.
Tomika Pullins and her niece Dior Scott were shot and killed on June 13.
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Cochran-Johnson said Wednesday that the county remains committed to both immediate and long-term public safety solutions and said the DeKalb County Police Department was still investigating all three incidents.
“These incidents are heartbreaking, and they reaffirm why public safety remains one of my top priorities,” Cochran-Johnson said in a statement. “Our residents deserve to feel safe—whether they are shopping, working, or raising families in DeKalb County. We are actively working on real solutions that address both prevention and accountability.”
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The county said it has boosted its investments in the police department, including the following tolls and strategies in high-crime areas:
- Mobile Police Precincts: Rotating units are placed in neighborhoods experiencing increased violence, providing visibility, deterrence, and community presence.
- Increased Patrol Recruitment: DKPD continues aggressive recruitment efforts to boost the number of patrol officers on the streets.
- School-Based Prevention Programs: In collaboration with DeKalb County Schools, the County has invested $250,000 in school-based initiatives to teach conflict resolution, civic responsibility, and de-escalation skills that young people can carry into adulthood.
While the recent incidents are a concern for officials, Cochran-Johnson’s statement on public safety highlighted that homicides in the county were down 34% as of June 22.
“These numbers show we are moving in the right direction,” Cochran-Johnson said. “But even one life lost is one too many. We still have work to do, and we are not letting up.”
As Channel 2 Action News reported, too bring more resources to bear in the police department, county officials greenlit a nearly $11 million budget move to give police higher wages and increase recruitment.
Officials said the county had a 151% boost in signed recruits as of June 1 and had also put $2 million into a real-time crime center for centralized, countywide police monitoring and crime response.
They’ve also begun a drone-as-first responder pilot program and expanded video surveillance across the county to feed into the crime center.
Despite those investments, Cochran-Johnson said making the community safer is more than a job public safety personnel, but a shared responsibility.
“We cannot police our way out of these challenges alone,” Cochran-Johnson said. “We need parents, mentors, faith leaders, educators, and residents to continue to partner with us by reporting what they see, sharing tips, and guiding our youth toward safer futures.”
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