GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Five homicides over a three-day span in Greensboro pushed the city’s total for 2023 to 65, setting a new record for the city.

The previous high of 62 was in 2020.

“We cannot police our way out of this,” Vaughan said. “Goldie Wells has called for a day of prayer. We need the community to step up. We need to say that this behavior is not acceptable.”

Mayor Nancy Vaughan said police officers are doing the best they can. Now, she needs the community to get on board. That’s why the Greensboro Police Department has planned a prayer vigil for Wednesday evening.

It was a call to action from Vaughan after a violent weekend in the city. It started early Saturday morning on Lawndale Drive when Ivy Gray, 41, and her daughter Kaile McLean, 22, were shot and killed.

“A lot of these individuals are dying,” District 1 Councilwoman Sharon Hightower said. “Nobody should ever lose their lives.”

A little more than 24 hours later, Greensboro police found two people dead on David Christian Place. Then, at about 3:45 a.m. Monday, officers responded to McKnight Mill Road where a 32-year-old woman was shot and killed.

Between this violence and the dozens of shots fired at the Electric Tequila nightclub on Friday, city council members are fed up.

“The number of bullets that were fired, and I have said this before in my tenure as a city council person, the only reason we don’t have more homicides is because, quite frankly, our criminals are bad shots,” District 3 Councilman Zack Matheny said.

In a time when city leaders are working on growth and progress, they don’t want people to be afraid to come to Greensboro.

“When we have people who are going out, I, as a mother and as mayor, I want them to know they are going to a safe place,” Vaughan said.