In America’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, a small number of individuals drive a large percentage of gun violence. These are not simply at-risk youth. These are people at the very center of retaliatory firearm conflict—those who live in the shadows, remain disconnected from all traditional systems of care, and have no apparent interest in being engaged. They are not only unresponsive to services; they actively resist them. They are survivors of persistent trauma, actors in a survival economy, and agents within a culture where violence begets violence.
Identifying and walking with this population is not just a challenge, it’s a calling. To do this effectively demands a radically different approach from mainstream public safety system-think, one rooted in presence, patience, proximity, and persistent relationship-building. This reflection offers a directive framework—one grounded in the experience of Advance Peace and supported by broader CVI and public health practice— for the identification and provision of responsive services to individuals most likely to perpetrate or become victims of retaliatory gun violence—often the same individuals.
I. Identification: Locating the Invisible
Distinction: Habitual vs. Active Involvement
Before we identify, we must clarify who we are looking for. There is an essential distinction between the habitual and the actively involved individuals
- Habitual: This individual has a sustained pattern of firearm involvement. This individual is committed to resolving conflict through firearm use. He is a “shoot-on-sight” actor who views the gun as a first response. He may have eluded law enforcement prosecution but is widely understood in his community as someone not to cross.
- Active: This individual is actively engaged in armed conflict. He has recently been activated—triggered by a personal or relational loss, injury, or threat. He may not have a violent history but is on the verge of retaliating in response to a specific act of violence.
Understanding this distinction is important. Public health and safety data often lumps these actors together. CVI practitioners cannot afford to. The habitual actor requires a different intensity, a different strategy, and a longer arc of engagement.
Limits of Network Analysis and Surveillance
Cities have increasingly relied on social network analysis (SNA) to identify those at highest risk. While this tool can establish a helpful baseline, its predictive power is limited. In our experience, SNAs often capture second- or third-tier actors—those who orbit around those at highest risk for firearm violence (“habitual” or “active”) but may not be driving conflict. Moreover, in high-activity conflict zones (what Advance Peace calls “APZones”), shooting dynamics shift rapidly. A new shooter can emerge overnight, turning yesterday’s low-risk youth into today’s retaliatory threat.
The other shortfall of SNAs and police data: their static nature. Violence is fluid. It lives in real time. And it lives in emotion, not just in patterns.
Proximity, Credibility, and the Power of Embedded Intelligence
In contrast, CVI identification depends on dynamic, community-based intelligence. This intelligence is not captured by data; it’s held by people. The cousin who knows who pulled the trigger. The mother who saw her son come home shaking. The elder who heard what was said on the block.
At Advance Peace, we have learned that the most accurate information comes from what we call _community knowledge holders_—not “informants” in the traditional, law enforcement sense, but trusted community residents who hold critical firearm information. These may be barbers, older brothers, formerly incarcerated leaders, or even rival gang members who’ve built trust with a credible messenger.
Identification is not a one-time task. It is a daily responsibility. It requires CVI assets with proximity, credibility, and longevity—those who are from the community, in relationship with it, and deeply embedded in its rhythms. The longer one is embedded, the more second nature this intelligence becomes.
Before joining the Advance Peace National Team, Freddie Dearborn Jr. and Maurice Goens had established themselves as key figures in the CVI world within their respective cities. Each served long, productive tenures as Violence Intervention Specialists before being promoted to management-level positions within local CVI ecosystems. Each developed storied reputations for consistently identifying and successfully and positively influencing those at the center of gun violence to enroll into the Peacemaker Fellowship. Here are their reflections about how best to identify those who wish to remain in the shadows:
“From personal experience, having been one at the center of gun violence and a professional gun violence interrupter, I can confidently say that there are clear pathways for locating shooters in one’s community. First and foremost, you must know the players in the game. Second, you need credibility and a License To Operate (LTO) in that specific community to identify the right individuals. Additionally, you must be skilled and active on social media. Study, watch, and listen to relevant YouTube music videos to gain insights. If you have any younger relatives in the area, don’t hesitate to tap into their knowledge and perspectives. Immerse yourself fully in the situation—be visible, present, persistent, trustworthy, and validated. Did I mention studying? Yes, you must do your homework on the underlying causes of gun violence at that moment—in real time. Start having conversations with people who live in the conflict zones—those who are tired of it and the family members of those affected by gun violence. This will help you identify the individuals driving up the gun violence numbers” (FD).
“You must be willing to think outside of the box and utilize all available resources. You need to adopt a ‘tracker’ mindset. You must either be present in the conflict zone where those you seek refuge, live, and play, or actively insert yourself into it. In this zone, be present, observe, listen, receive, and trail. Most individuals who work within CVI have a background rooted in street or urban life. They possess the ability to tap into their not-so-distant past, akin to actors employing ‘method acting.’ This process involves fully immersing oneself in a role or mindset and becoming that other person–their actions. How would they move? Where would they go? Where might their honeycomb hideout be? Utilizing your contacts and developing new connections and relationships throughout the community will be highly beneficial. You may receive support from both new and old contacts, as most people share your goal of preserving life. Be impartial and make yourself available. Be willing and ready to venture to places that others may be hesitant to visit. Contact those who are often overlooked. Build relationships within the community, ensuring that your name and your cause are held in high esteem. People must understand that you are solely operating in the best interest of the community. Remember, you are not law enforcement, and you are not collaborating with law enforcement. Once you have successfully established contact, foster the connection.” (MG)
Rasheed Shepherd is a former first cohort Fellow (2010) now serving as a National Fellow Ambassador for the Advance Peace National Team. Here’s what he had to say about the subject:
“To effectively end gun violence, you must gain access to those at its core. This requires having a strong presence in those communities. I would first identify with others in the community who share the same desire to end senseless violence. There are individuals who are already doing the work when no one’s looking, and without any financial backing to achieve their goal. Identification and engagement efforts are significantly strengthened when practitioners share lived experience and community ties with those most affected by gun violence. These individuals are certain to know the players in the shadows who go unnoticed by outsiders.” (RS)
II. Engagement: Chasing Those Who Won’t Be Caught
Relationship Over Referral
Once an individual is identified, the real work begins. But this is not service delivery in the traditional sense. The young men Advance Peace engages do not line up for help. They avoid it. They don’t want to be enrolled. They don’t want to be seen. They don’t trust institutions. They’ve been failed by every system meant to protect them—school, police, child welfare, even nonprofits.
The only way forward is through relationship. Not a handoff. Not a referral. Not a one-time contact. But relentless, daily presence.
At Advance Peace, this work is facilitated by Violence Intervention Specialists (NCAs)—trained street-level specialists who serve as interrupters, mentors, life coaches, and care managers—all in one. With caseloads capped at eight, NCAs can learn the individual deeply. And they must, because to engage someone who rejects being engaged requires the art and science of learning a person, and a desire and willingness to allow them to learn you.
Each person must be chased, courted, catered to, counseled, and coached. Not once. Not occasionally. But every day. In the APZone this means every day, multiple times per day for a minimum of 720 consecutive days.
Learning the “Shooter”
CVI engagement requires an almost anthropological commitment. You must learn what he values. What makes him laugh? What triggers him? What loyalties bind him? What betrayals broke him? What rituals sustain him? You must study his world until you understand how he sees it—and why he would rather die than be perceived as weak.
This is not soft work. It is rigorous. Dangerous. Emotionally exhausting. And absolutely necessary if retaliatory gun violence is to be made rare and non-recurring in our most impacted communities.
The Limits and Leverage of Law Enforcement
CVI cannot succeed in isolation. But any partnership with law enforcement must be carefully calibrated.
Many police chiefs understand and support CVI strategies. They want to do what’s right and the right thing. They see the value of non-police interventions that can help support efforts to keep communities safe. However, as some chiefs have quietly shared, they often do not run their departments—the police unions do. As such, some in these unions often see police sharing of intelligence with CVI actors as treasonous.
As such, law enforcement may rarely be willing to name the individuals they believe are “habitual” actors, even if it would support gun violence reduction efforts. And with clearance rates for shootings often below 50%, most responsible for harm remain on the street—unengaged and unaccounted for.
This makes the CVI role even more urgent. CVI practitioners must be the ones who see the unseen and engage the untouched. Those thought to be untouchable by some standards.
From our in-house experts:
“In my opinion, the best way to engage is based on the relationship that you build with the shooter. You only have one time to make a solid first impression. So, lining all your ducks in a row is essential. As you have been gathering information about him/her, they have been doing the same on you. The ability to have a heart-to-heart conversation when they know you are speaking in their best interests. Using “I” statements where you are not telling someone how they should move, but more about how YOU would move if you were in the situation. Make it personal, open up so they can see you are genuine in what you say. Introduce alternatives, learn how to ease the mind. It may sound and look crazy, but you must be willing to offer experiences to shatter the normalcy of everyday life that they know. Present what self-care looks like in other forms besides drinking or smoking. Reiterate that they must be of a sound mind and must be able to move strategically so they don’t get caught slipping. Break bread with them. Get them out of the way. Invite them out with you on nature walks or to the gym. In conversations, inject mental/physical health. Share your personal story of what healing looked like for you.” (MG)
“In the community, credibility walks before you. If you deliver on your word, the streets will echo it — and they echo loud. With that in mind, I believe the best way is first to have the resources needed to aid in one’s healing process (i.e., a willingness, finances, and the right relationships within vetted systems of care). Work diligently to get to know the Fellow. Patiently building a healthy relationship will lead to trust and vulnerability–an emotional safe place where the Fellow feels comfortable expressing his traumas and life challenges. From here, you’ll begin to identify more effective and uniquely personal ways to engage best and help guide the Fellow to whatever that ultimate healthy outcome may be.” (RS)
“The most effective approach to engaging a shooter who is resistant to positivity is to be fully present. Listening, observing. Mentoring, demonstrating consistency, having readily available resources, and building rapport are essential. You must meet them as they are, often in uncomfortable situations, and where they are, mostly in volatile environments. Avoid approaching them with authority or positive talk, as this will create distance between you and them during future interactions. Instead, when you speak, speak with confidence, provide them with resources, demonstrate leadership skills, maintain consistency, communicate effectively, maintain good energy, and offer a meal to foster rapport. Be prepared to handle their tests–attempts to take you off your square. Don’t take it personally. Maintain your composure. Always uphold your word. Eventually, they will begin calling and seeking your presence.” (FD)
III. Strategic Takeaways: Building a CVI Practice that Reaches the Unreachable
To identify, embrace, and best walk with those at the center of retaliatory firearm conflict, practitioners, cities, and CVI organizations must adopt several core practices:
- Invest in Trusted Messengers with Proximity and Credibility
Identification happens at the speed of trust. You need practitioners embedded in the conflict theater who know the players and are also known by them. This takes time and commitment. - Create a Web of Community Knowledge Holders
Cultivate a network of civilians who hold vital gun violence information, not as informants, but as respected stewards of neighborhood insight. Trust must be mutual, earned, and protected. - Understand Violence as a Social and Psychological Process
Use behavioral science insights, to design engagement strategies that recognize the layered motivations behind retaliatory violence. - Limit Care-loads to Enable Deep Engagement
Quality, not quantity, is the key. Cap outreach care-loads to allow for intensive, individualized, and tailored everyday relationship-building. No more than eight high-risk individuals per NCA. - Prepare Before You Offer
Understand that the individuals you reach are often not yet ready to benefit from or even have the ability to capitalize on available services. Your job is not to “plug them into programs” but to prepare them to imagine a different life and then support that transition with surgical precision, care and fidelity. - Maintain Strategic Distance from Law Enforcement
While leveraging influence collaborate where possible. Communicate where necessary. But always maintain comfortable distance to preserve credibility with your most important responsibility—those you aim to reach, inform, instruct, advise, change.
Our in-house experts conclude with these final thoughts about this, critical part of our work:
Conclusion: The Work of the Unseen
The individuals most responsible for urban gun violence are often the least engaged by society. They do not show up on service rosters. They do not trust public systems. They are unseen by design. And yet, they are the very people who must be reached if cities are serious about reducing retaliatory firearm violence.
Advance Peace has shown that it is possible to identify and engage them—not through force, fear, threats, or surveillance—but through proximity, patience, and persistent love. This work is not easy. It is not linear. But it is urgent because every life not reached is a life—and a neighborhood—put at further risk.
Those working within the APZone don’t just ask where gun violence is happening. We ask, who is driving it? Then we build teams prepared to chase that answer into the shadows and stay there—until change takes hold.
*Boggan, D., Dearborn, F., Goens, M., Shepherd, R., (2025) *Chapter 16: IN THE SHADOWS: How We Identify and Walk with ‘Would-Be Fellows’ @AdvancePeace: Guiding the CVI Frontlines [Unpublished Manuscript]