State of the City address comes amid gun violence crisis

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther is set to issue his State of the City address Tuesday at noon.

How to watch: The city will broadcast the speech on Facebook and YouTube.

What we're watching: Public safety will likely be a top issue in Ginther's address following a record number of homicides in 2021 and another wave of violence in the past week.

Driving the news: Last Friday saw three separate shooting incidents, including two killed at Podunk's bar on East Dublin-Granville Road and another killed inside a vehicle near Easton Town Center.

• In the third incident, Columbus police shot and injured a man on I-71 near Gemini Parkway who had reportedly crashed his vehicle and shot at drivers and officers on the highway.

What they're saying: "(Friday's) events prove that gun violence is a public health crisis," Ginther wrote in a statement following those shootings.

• "...it is crucial we address it every way we can — not just by catching the shooters, but by stopping the flood of illegal guns flowing into our community."

State of play: The mayor will likely provide an update on the progress of the city's new public safety leadership, plans for a new class of police recruits and efforts to join a federal Firearms Trafficking Strike Force.

• Separately, the mayor will also likely address public investments in affordable housing, job training, public health and green energy.