A local man held in jail on a $3.5-million bond may signal a new approach to serious crime in our community.

We certainly hope that is the case.

In the late night hours of Sept. 30 and the early morning hours of Oct. 1, several men, including the person held on the high bond, reportedly drove through the streets of Natchez firing what is believed to be a high-powered assault rifle.

One of their targets, apparently, was Richard Frazier who was ultimately shot and killed in a vehicle on West Stiers Lane.

But Frazier was not the only victim, the people responsible for the shooting spree terrorized half of our community as their indiscriminate gun battle drove through a number of areas of the community. Each bullet they fired had the potential to kill someone.

Only through the grace of God did their random gunfire not harm more people.

A total of seven suspects have been arrested and charged with crimes connected to the shooting and Frazier’s murder.

The swift work by all the law enforcement agencies involved and the apparently seriousness taken by Natchez Municipal Court Judge Lisa Dale, who set the high bond as a way of ensuring the man would not flee from authorities, is refreshing.

Natchez has a crime problem, but the people causing the crimes are small in number. With continued cooperation and hard work, our area can drive these criminals out of their hiding spots and either lock them up or make them go elsewhere.

But to be successful here all of us must work together. We applaud the swift work and cooperation of area law enforcement and the justice system. If that level of fair, but aggressive approach to violent crime continues, our community’s quality of life and peace of mind will rapidly improve.