RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond saw one of its most violent years in 2021. This year, some nearby localities are also seeing a spike in violence.
So far, Richmond has seen 27 murders so far this year, a number on pace with those of 2021.
Over the past few weeks, if Richmond has a busy night, Henrico, Petersburg and Chesterfield have followed with their own episodes of violence.
In Petersburg on Memorial Day, a man was shot in the arm. Crime Insider sources told Jon Burkett that the man was sprayed with shotgun pellets.
He faced non-life-threatening injuries.
Lately, violent episodes like this have had a domino effect on the region.
Colette McEachin, Richmond's Commonwealth's Attorney, said that this wave of crime has been concerning for her office.
"If I'm being honest, not only my office, but the police department is aware, Richmond Public Schools. Because these are not secret statistics, right? Even community organizations know and we are all working furiously to get ahead of it," McEachin said.
In an interview last week, McEachin told CBS6 that several things are happening to fight crime in Richmond.
"We are addressing the root cause, going to hot spots before they become hot spots, talking with people in the neighborhoods to find out if we can prevent some of the violence," McEachin said.
Some of the violence in Richmond is now spilling over into surrounding areas.
Chesterfield has seen five murders so far this year compared to 12 investigations for all of 2021.
Henrico's crime statistics from petit larceny to murder are up across the board compared to last year.
Sources told Jon Burkett that the violence can be attributed to an increase in homegrown gang violence.
"Those that are wreaking havoc in our communities, we've got to remove those individuals from the streets and we gotta be aggressive in doing so because agreed, they're causing a lot of problems in our communities," Henrico Police Chief Eric English said.
Crime Insider sources told Jon Burkett that the most recent murder in Fulton can be tied back to Henrico street gangs.
Detectives are working all angles to make arrests in the murder cases.
