Edwards, referencing his previous profession, stated, "In my old profession I used to count touchdowns... now I count bodies."

The mayor's comments follow a string of recent incidents, including two killings in recent days. One occurred at The Reserve at White Oak apartment complex, and another took place at the Amazon fulfillment center.

"And that's just two shootings that were reported. There were many more than that. Just to be transparent. Some people missed, some were a bad shot," Edwards said.

This week alone, two shootings happened at the same apartment complex on Harrell's Ferry Road, with the second incident on Wednesday being fatal.

"It saddens me, and I wait for the call every night about what's going on," Edwards added.

Looking ahead to the summer months, Edwards emphasized the city's efforts to engage young people and prevent them from getting into trouble.

"We work every day strategizing and talking and putting in the action of what we can do to help that," he said. "These actions include summer initiative programs in collaboration with law enforcement.

"I'm very concerned about the summer," Edwards explained. "You see when schools and kids get to get school, they get two meals a day, they get socialization, they have loving teachers care for them... we want to have some really busy summers keeping kids busy and keeping them moving."

City officials hope that these proactive measures can help curb the recent surge in gun violence and provide a safer environment for Baton Rouge residents, particularly its youth, during the upcoming summer.