FORT PIERCE, Fla. — It's been four days since police said Joseph Jean, 21, was shot and killed in the 600 block of Dundas Court in Fort Pierce.
As of Monday, Fort Pierce police tell WPTV they still have not made an arrest in his death.
The shooting came less than a month after eight people were shot in Fort Pierce's Ilous Ellis Park during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration and happened less than a mile away from the deadly shooting.
Now, parents tell WPTV they'd like to see additional community support for kids in hopes of preventing them from going down the wrong path in the future.
"[We would like to see] more police official involvement around the community," Zaphnee Ulysse said regarding what she would like to see in wake of the shootings.
Ulysse is the mother of a 15-year-old student and said she worries for him and others his age, emphasizing again the need for more from the community.
"He doesn't need school. He needs the community, like going around, at the playground, at the park, to the community, be in the community," Ulysse said.
She's not the only mom who told WPTV this. Mother Julie Baringer felt if there are programs out there, not enough moms know about them.
"Maybe there needs to be like a group that specifically reaches out to parents to let them know, maybe at local schools or something that you can contact, because it would be great if more kids could be involved," Baringer, who has a 14-year-old and a 4-year-old, said. "I feel bad for our kids. They need a lot of help. It's not even just the violence aspect but the whole mental health thing, too."
WPTV checked in with community outreach programs to see what options parents and their children currently have in Fort Pierce.
WPTV sat down with Jerome Gayman, the executive director of Frontline For Kids. The after-school program launched in 2000 and provides food, activities, help with homework and most importantly, role models for kids every school day from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"It takes a village to raise a child," Gayman said. "Our research shows between the hours of 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., adolescents get into trouble the most. This is why our staff is trained to redirect that behavior."
Gayman said one of the most important things is inspiring kids, helping them believe in and achieve their dreams, and letting them know they are loved and supported.
"Children have needs, and those needs need to be addressed. They also need counseling, someone to talk to, they also have issues. And we have a loving caring staff that care for them. You can't beat that," Gayman said.
Gayman added the work doesn't stop when kids walk out of the door at 7 p.m. Gayman's mission is to support parents and their children at all times in order to make sure they don't turn to violence.
"We have a social work department that does school visits, parent-teacher conferences, things a working single parent cannot do," Gayman said.
Gayman said he hopes parents do know his program is available, hoping the light from the children he sees each and every day will spread to those he doesn't see.
"We've got thousands of these children doing really well. And when one guy shoots somebody and does something wrong, he gets the headline, and so it's great what you are doing shining a light on these young folks," Gayman said. "They are the pillars that will carry this country forward."
Click here if you are interested in getting your child involved with Frontline For Kids. The facility is also open Monday through Friday until 7 p.m.
