³ÉÈËXÕ¾

In the wake of two shootings, one of which left a 2-year-old boy dead, said Tuesday he vows to make the city safer for the people who live there.

The sentiment was expressed after the reported the young boy was shot by a gunman targeting his father. It happened last Thursday, at an IHOP restaurant parking lot.

, the boy was identified as Synsyr Lewis. .

Recent coverage: 2-year-old in Federal Way dies from gunshot injuries

Officers in Federal Way are still looking for the suspect who shot at the man and hit the boy but described him as a man of an unknown race who was wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and dark-colored jacket.

“It’s incomprehensible. It’s astounding and beyond imagination that this crime happened there and took the life of this 2-year-old,” Ferrell said. “We will find this shooter and it’s my hope he will spend the rest of his life in prison.”

To do that, Ferrell said the city has increased its number of police officers, hiring 13 officers in the last year and a half without a tax increase.

That’s something with which other departments have struggled. Ferrell says there is no other choice, no matter what it takes.

“It’s not that difficult. You just make up your mind that you’re going to do it. You need to put the resources in,” Ferrell said.

The mayor said he has set aside funding for overtime for members of its Special Operations Unit. Those officers, he said, will be used to double the number of officers patrolling high crime areas of the city.

Finally, the mayor has a message for criminals and for residents — violent crime won’t be tolerated in the City of Federal Way.

“We need to send a message to anybody out there thinking of coming to Federal Way. We will track you down and we will find you, and hold you accountable,” Ferrell said.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest.

You can read more of James Lynch’s stories here. Follow James on , or email him here.