Louisville Mojo: Wave of Violence Increases

A dead waitress in a suitcase. A stabbing in a gaming store, a shooting in a dollar store. Louisville's fear factor seems to be going into high gear as we enter the winter.

Tuesday evening, a man was found stabbed to death in the B.J. Novelty store at 1225 Arcade Avenue. Police responded to the man's 911 call for help too late to save his life. The man's name has still not been released as I write this early Wednesday morning, and police aren't entirely sure what his connection to the store is. B.J. Novelty deals in gaming supplies for billiards, bowling, golf, etc.

The day before yesterday, a man dressed in black robbed the Family Dollar store at 1419 West Jefferson Street, shot a security guard and threatened others - including children - before escaping.

A few days earlier, there was a fatal shooting at the corner of 19th Street and Stone Alley. Joseph McNealy was shot multiple times by an unknown assailant as he stood near his car talking to a friend. He was rushed to University of Louisville Hospital, where he later died.

And just the week before, there had been another murder on Stone Alley. Sabrina Bragg, a 43-year-old mother of six, was found shot multiple times there.

That same week, 37-year-old Nuril Papapietro was run down and killed by a driver in a white van, outside Gilda's Club in the Highlands. The search is still on for the hit-and-run assailant, who seemingly deliberately swerved to hit her, ran over her body with both tires, and sped off.

Last month, John Lannon was picking up food to take home to his wife at the China Dragon restaurant at the corner of Broadway and Hancock. Two men robbed him at gunpoint and shot him. Though the bullet nicked his heart and lodged in his lung, Lannon survived the attack. A $5000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the shooters.

And also last month: Dorie Eppler, a well-known and beloved employee at Ollie's Trolley, was found dead and stuffed inside a large suitcase. The suitcase was placed by a trash dumpster on Kentucky Avenue, near Male High School.

As we approach the Christmas season, there's clearly something wrong in this city. Louisville's always been a high-crime place, of course, and historically has been the setting for many an example of man's inhumanity to man. But something seems sicker and sadder about the direction in which this burg is headed.

ADD A COMMENT

Rebeckalinn wed dec 09 2009 at 9:48 am ·


	I think alot has to do with the econmy right now. I do however think it is really sad that there have been so many killings and robberies. We need to be helping each other out. Not robbing and killing and threatning our nieghbors and strangers in the store. That is so sad.

davilledude thu dec 10 2009 at 10:57 am ·


	Obviously you have never lived in a real "high crime city. I have lived in places where gunfire at night was the rule, not the exception. Louisville, as a whole is about as safe as you can get for a city its size. While all crime is unfortunate, it's always going to be with it.

J.S. Holland thu dec 10 2009 at 12:06 pm ·


	I know crime is bad in other cities. I've lived in NYC (where I still maintain a studio), Atlanta, Peoria, and New Orleans. I couldn't care less about other cities; the subject at hand is Louisville.

little big man sat dec 12 2009 at 1:05 pm ·


	I precieve violence becomeing more abundant and severe as seems the case for our larger sister cities. The movers and shakers have been dragging us down this model of cosmopolitan growth for decades. Sign me,not suprised.

ADD A COMMENT

blogs: J.S. Holland