The federal government should send more money to help a small northeastern Pennsylvania city battling a rash of gun violence, a senator said Monday.

Sen. Bob Casey requested the additional funding after seven people were shot in Wilkes-Barre over a recent six-day span, two of them fatally. The city of 41,000 suffered its deadliest year in 2013, with 12 criminal homicides."The crime situation is Wilkes-Barre is deeply concerning," Casey, a Democrat from neighboring Scranton, said in a statement. "I'm urging the Department of Justice to carefully examine its current capabilities and consider directing additional resources to the city's law enforcement."Casey wants the department to tap a $290 million grant program for states and local governments."Particularly given the historic link between violent crime and drug activity in Wilkes-Barre, the resources and expertise of federal law enforcement may well be critical to addressing this issue," he wrote in a letter to new Attorney General Loretta Lynch.Most of the gun violence is related to illegal drugs, according to Mayor Tom Leighton, who insisted his city is safe but needs more police officers to patrol troubled neighborhoods and discourage criminals who he said come from outside the city to cause trouble."We desperately need more police officers on the streets and we cannot afford any more," he said.The Justice Department says Casey's request is under review. Officials did not immediately say whether the city is eligible for additional funding this year.