WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderChurch leaders fighting back against crime in Beloit tonight

Church leaders fighting back against crime in Beloit tonight

BELOIT (WREX) - A group of church leaders will rally the Beloit community against crime tonight.

Church leaders are organizing a prayer vigil for Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in the empty parking lot at the intersection of Porter and Randall. The vigil is being organized by Justice Overcoming Borders (JOB) as a response to recent acts of violence in the community.

The main focus of the vigil is the shooting death of 22-year-old Derick Kimber. Kimber was shot and killed inside a car that crashed on the grounds of Merrill Elementary School around 1:00 p.m. last Tuesday. A second person in the car, a 24-year-old man, was injured in the shooting.

Antonio Lavell Mance, 26, is wanted in the shooting. He's considered armed and dangerous. Police say Mance has been living in the Beloit area recently, but is known to frequent the Chicago area and has contacts in the Wausau, Wisconsin area.

There were two other shootings last week. On Wednesday, a 32-year-old man was shot at 354 Euclid Avenue. He underwent surgery and was recovering in the hospital.

The next day a 24-year-old man was shot inside a home in the 1500 block of Moore Street. Police say someone shot at the home, with several people inside, including a young child. The victim in that shooting also needed surgery and is recovering.

Everyone in the community is invited to attend tonight's vigil against crime.