In his patrol vehicle, Wilkinsburg police officer Mark Wilson uses a laptop during his shift on Oct. 17, 2017. (Photo by Ryan Loew/PublicSource)
Stories like this take time, talent, and tech to produce.
We’re proud to provide high-quality local journalism without paywalls — everyone deserves access to information that affects them. But each resource it takes to create these stories comes with a cost. Protect our ability to keep producing journalism you value — please donate today.
Wilkinsburg is a borough on Pittsburgh’s eastern border with a reputation for violence and crime that it’s trying to shake. While violence is down this year in Wilkinsburg, illegal guns remain abundant.
Mark Wilson is a 21-year veteran of the Wilkinsburg Police Department. When violence does erupt in his hometown, Wilson sees up close how the presence of illegal guns escalates the situation. He’s left wondering what pushes someone to take another’s life:
“What is it exactly that was done to you that you feel this person needs to lose their life for?”
Ryan Loew is PublicSource’s visual storyteller/producer. He can be reached at ryan@publicsource.org or on Twitter at @RyanLoew.
We don't have paywalls — but your support helps us bridge crucial information gaps.
Readers tell us they can't find the information they get from our reporting anywhere else, and we're glad to provide this important service for our community. We work hard to produce accurate, timely, impactful journalism without paywalls that keeps our region informed and moving forward.
However, only about .1% of the people who read our stories contribute to our work financially. Our newsroom depends on the generosity of readers like yourself to make our high-quality local journalism possible, and the costs of the resources it takes to produce it have been rising, so each member means a lot to us.
Your donation to our nonprofit newsroom helps ensure everyone in Allegheny County can stay up-to-date about decisions and events that affect them. Please make your gift of support now.
Ryan is a PublicSource visual producer/storyteller. He joined PublicSource after being a freelance producer of news features and documentary stories in the Pittsburgh region and beyond. His work appeared...
More by Ryan Loew
