Marion city leaders ask residents to 'see something, say something' after two murders last week

Marion city leaders ask residents for help curbing crime as law enforcement works to solve two murders that happened last week.

At a special called city council meeting on Jan. 6, Mayor Dexter Hinton asked citizens to help.

 “If you see something, say something.” he said. “Every day is not sunshine. It’s a rainy day for us right now for us. We’re doing the best we can to counter act this, and we’re doing the best we can to be proactive. On a daily basis, we are facing a whole lot of issues like fentanyl and all kinds of prescription drugs, so we have guns in the hands of people not thinking right. This is a rainy day for us, but we will see the sunshine.” 

Marion is under a curfew through Jan. 15 in the wake of two homicides that took place in the Perry County town on Thursday night and early morning Friday.

Marion Mayor Dexter Hinton said one shooting occurred at 411 West Monroe St. at 9 p.m. Jan. 5, and another shooting death occurred on nearby Thompson Street at 3 a.m. Jan. 6. 

No names have been released yet. Marion Police Chief Tony Bufford said it is early in the investigation. At an emergency public safety city council meeting on Jan. 6, Bufford told the council and the public in attendance that the State Bureau of Investigation is helping in the investigation.

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“We are working side by side with the state to solve these homicides.” 

Bufford said the curfew is aimed at people walking the streets, hanging out loitering and talking, not people with legitimate business, although he said businesses should close at 9 p.m. It will not affect travel for medical reasons, work, school, care of others, authorized prior planned events and business.  

A citizen asked how the police department was going to enforce the curfew. “We will make the necessary adjustment to the officers’ schedules. We will have overlapping shifts so there will be two or three officers at a time no officers will be on patrol alone.” 

Bufford also reported he has already spoken to ALEA about helping in Marion and planned to speak with the Perry County Sheriff’s Department and

“This is not being put in place to harass the citizens of Marion,” Bufford said. “It’s being put in place to maintain order and ensure the safety of the citizens.”