Pastor Derrick Perkins of Centennial Christian Church Disciples of Christ told KSDK, “We have to address these things while they are young—so that they don’t grow into individuals who become adults—without the support that they need.”
RELATED: 5 Young People Killed in Crash While Returning From Bible College Visit
“It just breaks my heart,” Perkins went on to say. “It seems like…we should be able to do something more to protect young people and to protect them from all the risk factors that are available to them.”
Perkins cited poverty, stressful home environments, and current gun regulations as possible risk factors.
RELATED: Women and Children Welcomed in California Church’s New ‘Village’
“There’s a lot of fear that young people are up against as they travel from home to school to wherever they’re going and that is the fear of if they’re going to be protected from some of the elements that’s going on in the community,” he said. “What happens is sometimes they join those elements because they don’t feel protected and safe.”
