TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Police Department's interim chief told people who attended a community forum on gun violence Tuesday evening that the public will play an important role in curbing this type of crime.

"We're not going to solve this alone, right? We're not going to continue to reduce crime by ourselves. It takes a community effort," said Interim Chief Ruben Delgado.

The forum was held in response to this year's spike in gun violence. Just hours before attendees gathered in the Jackson Heights NFL YET Center, police began investigating the deaths of the city's latest homicide victims. According to TPD, an 18-year-old man was found shot near the intersection of 52nd St. and 30th Ave. shortly after noon. He died of his injuries at the hospital. Then around 4 PM, a shooting was reported in Takomah Trail Park. That man died at the scene.

"It's frustrating because there's a whole other parent that's going to go through the same thing that we're going through," Patricia Brown said when she learned of the latest deaths.

Brown's son, Devante Brown, 27, died after being shot on March 21 of last year. She said he was caught in crossfire. Since his death, Brown founded the group Rise Up for Peace. She said she finds comfort in speaking out against violence and sharing Devante's story, like she did during the TPD forum.

"It's just too heartbreaking to hear about this every day, every second, every minute that somebody's child is getting killed over something so, so senseless," Brown told the crowd. 

Delgado said progress is being made. He told forum attendees that TPD has taken 1,800 guns off the city's street this year -- up 50% from 2020.

In East Tampa, which accounts for 45% of all calls for service, police removed 700 guns, an increase of 47 percent. Arrests of convicted felons in possession of firearms are also up 21% in that district. Some officers were moved from a centralized violent crime unit into districts to better meet the needs of those areas. Still, Delgado said more work is needed.

A new "Adopt A Block" program will rely on tips from the community to focus in on areas of the city on a block-by-block basis. Delgado said the tips don't have to be crime-related but can also focus on issues like trash or code enforcement - anything that can help improve quality of life. When it comes to curbing violence, Delgado said a challenge officers often run into is a reluctance to testify.

He said it's common for homicides to go unsolved because people who know something won't talk. To address that, a commission is being formed to help address violent crimes. It's expected to be made up of law enforcement and community stakeholders. The goal will be to encourage witnesses to crimes to tell police what they know. 

Police also heard from members of the public about what they think can be done to stop violence. Delgado said more public forums are expected to be held in other neighborhoods in the coming weeks.

Anyone with information on Tuesday’s homicides is asked to call Tampa Police at (813) 231-6130.