RICHMOND, Va. — Violent crime stats for 2025 in the city were the best Richmond has seen in more than a decade up until Jan. 27, when the city recorded its first homicide of the year.
Since that day, major crimes detectives have been busy and the violence has been consistent. CBS 6 Crime Insider Jon Burkett spoke to Mayor Danny Avula about the recent crime.
"We've had a string these last few days that have kinda put us back on track with last calender year," Avula said. "The chief and I meet every week and he, in real time, anytime there's something significant, he will text me and the CEA immediately so there's really good real time reporting about what's happening around the city."
Burkett asked Avula about youth violence after the recent shooting in Richmond's East End. A 15-year-old boy was shot multiple times.
"I think our police force, and not just the police force but again in partnership with our prevention-oriented partners both our Department of Justice Services, other partners like VCU and others around town who have really ramped up their efforts to engage youth, to really focus in on youth who are at higher risk for gun violence. But I think the reality remains that as guns are so widely available and have become in many places a part of the violence culture, we've got to figure out how to give kids a different pathway," Avula said.
A pathway of a cold and callous killing infected the midtown area last week after the stabbing death of Kyron Fowlkes inside Cuisine of India on West Broad Street.
"Listen, the entire city is of concern to me and the Lemon one is an interesting example because this is a restaurant that normally runs regular food service but has recently started doing later night activities, right? Hosting karaoke nights, renting space out, and so I think there is just a concern every time that there is alcohol involved and society-wide an increasing inability to resolve arguments and conflict in productive ways and that leading to violence," Avula said. "In that particular case it was a stabbing but much more often it's easy access to guns and that has much more severe consequences."
Avula says in the coming weeks he will meet with law enforcement leaders and ask what prevention and policies can be added to help them fight violent crime in the city.
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