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Northwood business owner upset about increase in crime

Posted at 5:46 PM, Jan 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-12 19:21:59-05

Since 2015 there have been 61 homicides in West Palm Beach. A majority of them took place in the northern part of the city.

The cities first homicide took place on the 4000 block of Broadway. That's where some business owners and residents are fed up with violence.

Police say Harold Green was shot and killed right outside of the Cheer's Supermarket.

Just a few door down is Broadway Pizza Subs. Melissa McKenzie is the owner and since opening up 5 months ago their phones have been ringing of the hook.

Business was booming Friday afternoon, but before opening up she had plenty of naysayers warning about the crime problem.

"A lot of people said why are we coming to this neighborhood," McKenzie said.

Her answer was simple, her aging parents own the shopping center so she wanted to keep an eye out on things.

"And there's really no where to eat," she told WPTV. "No ones invested in this area in a long time."

On Wednesday she saw the crime problem firsthand. Police say Harold Green was shot to death in the shopping plaza. 

"Someone banged on our window and alerted us," McKenzie said.

She says she wants people to know that this area needs positive change.

"Northwood is a great neighborhood there's families, there's working people, there's businesses here." McKenzie said.

Police say they are still investigating and no arrests have been made.