High number of homicides in Kent so far this year raises concern in community

One group is working to provide resources to troubled youth

KENT, Wash. - A troubling amount of homicides in Kent so far in 2021 has the police department studying ways to prevent future killings. Six homicides have occurred in the first four months of the year—two in January, two in March and two in April.

Chief Rafael Padilla said it’s tough to figure out why so many homicides have happened so early in the year.

"While there doesn’t appear to be a common thread in terms of motive or relationship, we are reviewing the incidents to determine if there are commonalities that we might be able to impact and prevent future incidents," said Padilla.

Detectives have made arrests in three of the cases. They also said they are investigating suspects in the other three cases.

In comparison, there were eight homicides total in 2020, four in 2019 and seven in 2018. Padilla said there could be several possibilities attributed to the high numbers in 2021.

"As I have chronicled over the past few months, violent crime involving the use of firearms is up significantly since the start of the pandemic," said the chief.

Padilla mentioned Kent is not the only city seeing the uptick, but also cities throughout the region and across the country.

"At the same time, there are thousands of cases backlogged in King County for crimes that were committed during the pandemic. While those cases sit, criminals remain at large to commit more and more crime," said Padilla.

While the police department studies what may be causing the trend, Padilla said the department is also working with community partners to engage more intervention and prevention resources to help address the regional issue.

Second deadly shooting at Kent apartment complex in less than 48 hours

Two people were shot and killed on Sunday and Monday at an apartment complex in Kent.

"Both those who commit violence with a gun and those who associate with those who commit violence are multiple times more likely to be shot and killed than those who do not run in those social circles. Because of this we have remained strong partners with service providers who are focused on intervening with youth before they become part of the criminal justice system," said Padilla.

Kendrick Glover dedicated his career to supporting youth in Kent and south King County.

"A lot of our young people are in this area and they don’t have a connection to anything. And when you don’t have a connection to anything you will fall for whatever is out there. My grandmother used to say, ‘An out of mind is the devil’s playground," said Glover.

He founded Glover Empower Mentoring (GEM)– a positive resource in the community Glover said he wished was available when he was a troubled teenager.

"Being in gangs, getting involved in drugs at an early age and it lead me to prison at a young age, 16. And I didn’t want to see young people go through the same thing, the trauma that I went through. So, when I had the opportunity, I wanted to give back to my community in ways nobody else gave back to me," said Glover.

Now the work Glover and his team does is more important than ever. They serve young people from elementary school all the way to 24-years-old. Michael Jones, GEM’s assistant director, said some of the young people are experiencing trauma from their connection to one of the six people killed so far this year in Kent.

"They have direct relations with a lot of these people. So, whether it’s one, two degrees of separation there’s always a direct connection to the work in everything that we are in the community and it’s been no different with the lives that have been lost so far in 2021," said Jones.

"That’s the unfortunate part about the six homicides that we’ve seen in our city this year. Life has not been valued, so how do we put value on that life so that not just that one person understands it but the people around them understands it as well," said Glover.

Glover said he would like to see more collaboration between community partners and local government to address the challenges against area youth more effectively.

"It’s a ripple effect and the community feels that pain. So, when you’re talking about investing, we can’t just talk about it we have to really do it. And what does that investment look like. We’ve seen a lot of funding come our way in terms of the city, but how is the city going to use that funding to make sure that it gets in the hands of those community members that can really spark that change and start a dialogue in our community that can really address some of these issues?" said Glover.

The pandemic heightened the difficulties young people were already dealing with, from abusive homes to gang recruitment to lack of food and water. Throughout the pandemic, GEM has provided $180,000 worth of support through grant money to offer daily necessities. Glover said this past year was by far the hardest he and his team have worked to support area youth.

"Offering food assistance, offering rental assistance and also offering daily need vouchers to support families as they needed them," said Glover. "Also just being someone trustworthy in their corner when they needed someone to vent to. Because a lot of times if you can talk through it, you can kind of figure out some of the answers to your own problems. And that’s what we’re here for, that’s what we stand for."

Along with the 15 programs GEM offers, directors said they expanded services to better support the mental and emotional needs young people experienced during the pandemic.

"The earlier we teach them about dealing with their trauma, the better they are prepared to deal with it as they grow up. So, we want to provide that information and that knowledge about what they’re going through, what they’re experiencing and feeling so that they can develop a way to deal with it and come up with new coping mechanisms," said Jones.

The team and resources at GEM are available to all youth who feel like they are experiencing challenges in their life. No appointments are needed to receive services.

"Someone does not have to look like you to advocate for you," said Glover. "We’re boots on the ground. We’re out there, we’re letting young people know our doors are open. We’re one of the only facilities that are still operating at full capacity right now."

"We try to make sure that we’re inspiring young people to see the value that they have in every arena they’re in but also the fact that everybody that’s in the arena with time also brings value. That’s what makes it a valuable place to be," said Jones.