DAYTON — The gunfire that happened at Friday night’s Dayton Holiday Festival and Dayton Children’s Parade Spectacular in Lights sent people running, including many children.
Dayton Police said Monday while they are still looking for the person who fired the shot, four juveniles have been charges with disorderly conduct, as well as other charges, in regards to two fights that happened. One fight was before the gunfire and one was after. Both were related to the gunfire, a spokesperson said.
Following the chaos, the Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) is discussing how parents can talk to their kids about what they experienced.
Helen Jones-Kelley, ADAMHS Executive Director, said the biggest thing is being able to talk about the incident and not gloss over it as if nothing happened.
“We didn’t used to encourage people to talk about, especially our kids, because we thought it retraumatize them. It’s really just the opposite. Not talking about it can create more trauma and more depression for youngsters than talking about it openly and allowing them to express how they feel and to be able to recognize if there are any signs or symptoms that might cause a parent or caregiver to want to get some additional help for their child,” Jones-Kelley said.
If a parent is not sure how to start these difficult conversations with their children, Jones-Kelley suggested looking into the “On Our Sleeves” program at Dayton Children’s Hospital.
>> Police ID victim, person of interest in Riverside homicide investigation
“So if parents don’t know how to start the conversation, that program provides information, tips and little cards that you can use even around the dinner table to talk about how someone is feeling and what they think may have happened in that experience,” Jones-Kelley said.
She told News Center 7 that another important tip for our community right now is to be resilient. There are a lot holiday events scheduled around the area and this should not stop people from coming to Downtown Dayton.
More information about “On Our Sleeves” can be found here.