LYNN — Lynn Classical High School has seen an increased police presence this week to provide additional security in response to the fatal shooting of two teenagers on Camden Avenue last week.
The victims, both of whom attended Lynn Classical, were 16-year-old Isaiah Acevedo and 19-year-old Kyle Mel.
“We have for a long time and continue to have a strong, collaborative relationship with the Lynn school department,” Lynn Police Chief Christopher Reddy told The Item Thursday. “We recognize the trauma that they, and the Lynn Classical community in particular, are experiencing, and we have a role in helping them feel safe in that learning environment. We continue to work together for that purpose.”
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Evonne Alvarez expressed her condolences last week “to the families, friends, staff, and everyone affected by the devastating loss of student life.”
According to a letter to the Lynn Public Schools community, signed by Alvarez, Reddy, and Mayor Jared Nicholson, a “uniformed officer” will be present at Lynn Classical during school hours.
“In the long term, we are also evaluating staffing options to assign an officer to a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) position more permanently,” the letter read.
The letter added that the safety of the city’s community is the priority of the Lynn Police Department, and that the “destructive decisions of a few” have seriously affected “the community’s sense of safety and security.”
“We acknowledge with you the pain and anxiety caused by the senseless acts of violence that occurred these past few days,” the letter read. “The families of these young men will never be the same, and the grief that they are experiencing is shared by their friends and the school community where they were students.”
The letter also informed the public that the Police Department’s Gang Unit and the Drug Task Force are working with state and national law-enforcement authorities to “prioritize investigations, patrols, and suppression of gang-related activity.”
“Despite these ongoing efforts, there has been an uptick in brazen acts of violence by known gang members,” the letter read. “The Lynn Police Department is here to serve and protect, and we will continue to do what is needed to address this alarming increase in violence and bring those involved in this week’s shootings to justice. Lynn is a strong community filled with good people. As a community, we need to continue to work together. We also need the public to be forthcoming.”
In a Facebook post, Lynn Public Schools also announced that it is partnering with Lynn Street Outreach Advocacy and Roca Inc., two local organizations dedicated to “fostering trusting relationships with our youth by addressing trauma, combating community violence, finding pathways, and offering hope.”
