ROANOKE, Va. – Two men are injured after a shooting in Northeast Roanoke. This comes just hours after police say violent crime is down in the city.
Roanoke City Police say gunshots rang out around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday at a gas station along the 3600 block of Plantation Road Northeast.
Responding officers found damage at the business, but no victims or suspects. A short time later, police say two men showed up at local hospitals with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
This comes just one day after Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman addressed the Roanoke City Council Tuesday afternoon during a public safety briefing. He presented crime data from 2018 to the present.
From 2021 to 2022, violent crimes like murders and aggravated assaults jumped 22.41 percent. Overall crime increased 14.36 percent.
“Very tough year for violent crime,” Roman said. “This is a number that we are always endeavoring to reduce. This is the phenomenon that we are seeing across our country.”
But when you look at the 2023 numbers year-to-date compared to 2022, violent crime is down 11 percent and overall crime is down 13.86 percent.
“This is really the result of hard work. Not just of the department, but all of the efforts that we have going through the city to include Star City Safe, to include collaborating with our prosecutors and our judges,” Roman said.
One crime that is on the rise is firearm thefts, particularly in Southwest Roanoke, which saw an 85.71 percent increase from 2021 to 2022.
Roman said one way the community can help is by using the department’s online reporting system where citizens can report minor offenses online instead of calling it in, which takes more time and resources.
“We would love if our citizens would use our online reporting,” Roman said.
Anyone with information about Wednesday morning’s shooting should contact Roanoke Police at 540-344-8500.