ROANOKE, Va. – A sign of hope — Roanoke saw zero homicides in the past 30 days.
Tuesday night, Roanoke Police presented the latest statistics to the Gun Violence Prevention Commission.
“I say that hesitantly, but that is encouraging for us,” Capt. Adam Puckett told the commission.
From Jan. 1 to Oct. 15 of this year, there have been 56 cases of aggravated assaults or homicides where the victim was hit by gunfire. Twenty-two of those victims have been shot to death. But not in the past month.
“Something’s working,” said Roanoke Police Capt. Jennifer Boswell.
However, she said it’s too early to pinpoint what that something is.
“I don’t have one answer for you. I really think it’s all the work that everyone is doing,” said Boswell.
Councilman Joe Cobb who also sits on the commission said the ongoing work to build relationships in the community could be a factor.
“Having some silence in our streets is really important,” said Cobb. “We’re seeing more of these community-based events emerging and it’s bringing people together in a really powerful way.”
According to our 10 News Gun Violence Tracker, five people were injured in shootings in the past month.
Cobb and Boswell acknowledge there’s still work to be done.
“We have not seen the end of gun violence,” said Cobb. “I mean, we can be honest about that.”
“We just got to work together,” said Boswell. “We got to hear each other. It’s not just law enforcement. It’s not just municipal building. It’s not just churches. It’s not just a residential area. It’s all of it. Just that collaboration. Handle this a different way. Care about human life. Care about someone living or dying.”