Residents of Brentwood came together Sunday for a community event following a string of alleged gang-related deaths in the area.

About 600 Brentwood students, staff and parents participated in the Gary Mintz Memorial 5K with the goal of building a stronger community.

It marks the 22nd year the run has taken place, but students say this year's event has a special meaning given the recent violence in their area.

As News 12 has reported, the bodies of six people, all believed to be murdered by gangs, were found within a month's time.

Five of the deceased teens had at one point attended Brentwood High School.

Students say the run serves as a community-building initiative.

"Even though there is a lot of violence going on, we are all having fun here," says senior Jordan Torres. "Even though the community is all bad, we still try to have fun, bring it back to the old days where nothing bad is happening, so this brings us hope."

Organizers say over the past five years, the run has raised about $100,000 for scholarships for graduating seniors.

This year's event raised about $20,000.