In a matter of days, Brookhaven has seen enough gun-related crimes to last a year or more. We are hopeful these incidents are not the makings of a trend.

A man was shot multiple times May 30 on North Jackson Street. A suspect was arrested shortly after the shooting. He has been charged with aggravated assault.

A number of guns were found near Exchange Club Park last week after police responded to a call of gunshots.

“They were goofing off. When you’re a kid, or you’re almost grown and you got a gun, you gotta show off and let everybody know you got one,” Police Chief Kenneth Collins said about the group of young men who are thought to have had the guns before throwing them into the woods. “That’s why all these calls came in.”

A woman reported an armed robbery in the parking lot outside Brookhaven Wash & Dry last week. The woman called police around 1:30 p.m. to report a young male had held her at gunpoint and took $62 from her wallet before fleeing north into the neighborhood behind the Piggly Wiggly on Monticello Street. No arrest has been made.

This week, a 10-year-old was accidentally shot in the head with a stolen handgun. A Starkville man was charged with aggravated assault and four counts of auto burglary.

“He was playing in the car with a handgun that he had stolen the night before,” Collins said.

Thankfully, police have made arrests in some of these cases. But there is only so much that law enforcement can do. Collins and his force can not be everywhere, all the time.

The community will also have to do its part to prevent incidents like these. Residents will have to be proactive when it comes to reporting suspicious behavior. Those with information about crimes will have to come forward. Together, the police department and the community can help make Brookhaven safer.