RICHMOND, Va. — Four people have been killed in separate shootings over the past week, according to Richmond police.
“I believe one life lost is too many,” said Rev. Mavin Gilliam with Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Communities (RISC), which among other things researches solutions for gun violence in the community.
“We go through these moments in the city, unfortunately, where we have these kinds of spurts of violence that take place,” Gilliam said.
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, police responded to the 1700 block of Southlawn Avenue where 39-year-old Clayton Wyatt was found shot. He later died at the hospital.
On Sunday, March 2, 20-year-old De’Andre Johnson was shot and killed outside a Foot Locker store on West Broad Street.
The next day, police found a man dead from a gunshot wound in Mosby Court near Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.
Then, hours later, Richmond police discovered a man who had been shot and killed inside a South Richmond home.
James Mercante, a spokesperson for the police, spoke about the violent streak at the scene on Tuesday.
“When you have a tragedy like this, one homicide or one death investigation is terrible,” Mercante said. “It breaks apart communities, families.”
He said though the past few days have seen multiple tragedies, violent crime is down across the city in comparison to last year.
“In general, violent crime is down in the city of Richmond, and hopefully we’ll continue to do so,” Mercante said.
While there had been fewer homicides thru March, 2 2025 compared to this same time in 2024 (seven vs. nine), the number of assaults were higher, according to Richmond Police Crime stats.
Gilliam believes that statistic drop can only happen with the collaboration of city leaders, community members, and various anti-violence-centered organizations.
“Let’s do what we can to help our young men, young women, to be more thoughtful about their actions and their activity,” Gilliam said.
Gilliam added that RISC will be holding their 2025 Nehemiah Action Meeting on March 25, where they will speak to city leaders and community members and propose a plan to help decrease gun violence.
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