ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke Police Chief Scott Booth is seeing success in the fight against gun violence.
There have been six homicides so far this year compared to 22 by the end of August 2023. That is a 65% drop to date.
Non-fatal shootings have also gone down with 15 incidents since January compared to 44 last year, a 55% decrease.
That data he presented to the City Council Tuesday night surpasses the department’s initial goal for 2024.
“Anytime that there’s a loss of life in our community, or someone is struck by a bullet in our community, is one too many, The only time I would ever be happy is if I stand up here and say that we’ve had zero people shot,” Booth said.
Booth also said that a new accountability model is targeting violent crime in problem spots. That includes select parts of downtown, Belmont, The Hunts, Lincoln Terrace and the Landsdowne area.