More police are needed downtown, says Malcolm Allred. And something that happened to him earlier this week confirmed his belief.

Monday night, around 10 p.m., Allred, who lives downtown, set out to walk his dogs. It is his nightly ritual, except Monday he was out later than usual.

As Allred strolled up Crawford Street, he noticed he was being followed. He became suspicious, so he pulled from his back pocket a pistol he carries when he walks his dogs after dark. He hid it against his leg.

The man walked past Allred, asked him for the time, walked away and then approached him again.

&#8220Come here, you,” Allred said the man instructed him.

As the man approached, Allred revealed his gun.

The man then &#8220jumped… ran a few steps, then turned and fired once” with his own weapon, Allred said.

Allred was not hit, but when he arrived home he called the cops. No one has been arrested.

&#8220We need more police downtown,” Allred said. &#8220I hadn’t given it much thought for a while, but with everything that’s been going on lately, I think something needs to be done.”

The most recent example of downtown crime was early Sunday morning, when a fight at a bar on Grove Street ended in the shooting death of 25-year-old Justin Maurice Harris at his residence on Grammar Street.

Also, during the past several months, there have been at least three police reports filed by pedestrians who say they were robbed on Washington Street.

In Sunday’s shooting, five people, including four brothers, have been arrested in the case. All have been charged with murder. They also face charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling, aggravated assault and burglary.

Arrested were Alonzo Leemont Trevillion, 34; Anthony Lydell Trevillion, 30; Armond Henry Trevillion, 27; Matthew Ladale Nash, 28; and Rufus Armstrong, 31.

A large part of reducing downtown crime, said Vicksburg Police Chief Tommy Moffett, is ridding the district of bars.

&#8220The clubs just bring an element,” he said. &#8220We’ve always had problems with the clubs downtown. They just bring a crowd and activity that leads to criminal behavior.”

Moffett said he would favor an ordinance that would ban clubs from the area.

&#8220I think that is the best step we can take in making our downtown safer,” Moffett said.

Whatever the solution, Allred hopes something is done quickly.

&#8220All of these incidents indicate that we are not as safe as we have a right to be,” he said. &#8220And something, regardless of what is it, needs to be done.”

The Vicksburg Police Department uses downtown foot patrol during the five-week Christmas shopping season, said Deputy Chief Richard O’Bannon. Full-time foot patrol isn’t an option, he said, due to a lack of funds.

But having more cops downtown isn’t the answer, he said. &#8220If people are predetermined to commit a crime, they’re going to do it. If our foot patrol is at one end of downtown, they’ll commit the crime at the other end of downtown.”