Plainfield saw four killings in 2015 and three in 2014. Six months into this year, that number is already at six.

PLAINFIELD -- Willie Lee Major II was eating a frozen popsicle the last time his mother saw him. 

The 37-year-old left their home of 25 years on Plainfield Avenue after finishing the dessert and headed to the 400 block of West 4th Street, about a half-mile walk, where he was then shot to death.

Willie Lee Major II. (Family photo) 

"He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Joan Major said of the May 25 shooting death of her son, who authorities say was an innocent bystander.

His funeral was held at Ruth Fellowship Ministries church on South 2nd Street, his mother said, where residents gathered last week to preach for an end to gun violence. Since that anti-violence forum, two more people in the city have died in shootings.

Seven months into the year so far, Plainfield has seen six killings, compared to four in all of last year and three in 2014.

Murder in the city of about 50,000 has fluctuated over the years -- the most in a one-year period during the last 10 being 11 killings in 2011.

The numbers of killings Plainfield has seen each year since 2006, according to the county prosecutor's office. (Luke Nozicka | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
 

All six cases this year remain open, the prosecutor's office said.

Small pocket of violence

Plainfield Police Director Carl Riley said the recent violence comes from a tiny, isolated group of individuals, whom the department is actively pursuing. 

Of the six slayings this year, four occurred within a one-mile radius of each other. 

Those murdered include 29-year-old Joshua Hartsfield, who previously served time for manslaughter, and 60-year-old Frank Drayton, a man of faith who protected another person during the shooting that fatally injured him, a friend and former police captain said. 

Neelega Perry, a 24-year-old city woman, was fatally shot Thursday in the backyard of a home, making her the most recent person gunned down in the city.

The map below shows where killings have occurred in Plainfield since 2014. Red represents homicides this year, blue shows 2015 and green displays 2014.

Riley said his officers frequently analyze their patrol strategies in the hopes to reduce crime and make themselves more visible to the community.

"All officers are expected to get out of their cars," said the police director who took over in January 2014. "Plainfield is a safe community and we're working hard to combat all of these issues."

Searching for solutions

Regardless, community members have been looking for grassroots ways to combat violence.

During a faith-based community meeting Wednesday, the 20 or so people who attended formed a group they're calling the Plainfield anti-violence coalition, to create a long-term action plan for making positive change on their streets.  

"We're in a state of lawlessness," city councilwoman Gloria Taylor said during the gathering at YWCA on East Front Street. "We should be angry. We have to speak up so people know we are concerned." 

Some spoke of the need to cooperate with police during investigations. Others preached of handing out food and flyers with information on how to apply for jobs. 

Hours before 5th homicide, Plainfield residents held rally against gun violence

Michael Muhammad, a student minister at the ministry of Louis Farrakhan, said people must get on the corners themselves and interact with the city's youth.

"We have to get in the trenches and pull somebody out," the 52-year-old said. "We have to put together a spiritually-rooted, practical and tireless effort to be constant. ... We can't fear our own children."

Salaam Ismial, director of the National United Youth Council, which has been putting on the recent anti-violence forums in the city, said his group is organizing a youth summit for Aug. 6, where community members will be able to hear the voices and concerns of the municipality's adolescents. 

"These young people are disenfranchised, so this would allow us to interact with them," said Ismial, who in a statement says he asked Riley and acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park to beef up the city's police presence following the sixth killing. "These shootings and murders are overwhelming this great city and deserve extreme response."

The Union County Crime Stoppers are still offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in each of these cases, the prosecutor's office said. 

Tips can be given anonymously at 908-654-8477 or online at www.uctip.org.

As for Gary Kirkwood, president of the Greater Central Jersey Clergy Association, he said he's tired of attending meetings after people are shot dead.

"We need a holistic approach," Kirkwood said. "There was a child just born at [JFK Medical Center.] We have to get to him, otherwise he'll have a gun in his hands in 10, 15 years from now."

Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka. Find NJ.com on Facebook.