Violence plagued the city of Springfield this weekend, culminating with a murder Sunday morning outside the Duggan Park Housing Complex on Arthur Picard Circle.

Michael Ruiz, 22, is charged with the murder of Edward Caldwell, 40, and was brought before a judge Monday in District Court.

Police said Ruiz stabbed Caldwell in the neck and chest as a result over an argument about a girl. Ruiz is being held without the right to bail. City Council President Bud Williams said this, and 12 other stabbings and shootings this weekend were among acquaintances, and not strangers.

"These are random, but these are not someone who is getting out of a car and accosting someone who they don't know," Williams said.

The places are random as well. Indian Orchard, the North End, South End and Downtown areas all saw acts of violence, including: Shootings at Main and Jefferson, the Six Corners restaurant on Walnut Street, and Carew Street. Also, police said officers witnessed a shooting on Worthington Street near Stearns Square at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

Meanwhile stabbings occurred on Beech St., Saratoga St., Dwight St. and Eastern Ave.

Antoinette Harris lives across the street from where one of the stabbings happened at 405 Eastern Avenue late Saturday. She said her neighborhood is desperate for more police attention.

"These young kids and these crazy people with the guns would think twice before they did that. They wouldn't be doing all of this if the police presence was around," said Harris.

The city just released new numbers last week showing overall crime had dropped 15-percent from January to May. Mayor Domenic Sarno said that no matter how hard they try and what forces the city and police put in place, crime will never completely go away.

"We had a bad weekend. It's disappointing, it sure is but now we move forward and deal with those situations," Sarno said.

Sarno said while it is possible to get some control on crimes resulting from gang activity, a lot of what happened this weekend came from domestic disputes and that, he said is almost impossible to control from a city and police standpoint.