October 10, 2007
Spike in crime hits North Richmond
If you’ve been following the news, you already know about the high-profile shooting involving a Richmond Public Schools bus in September. Today’s Times-Dispatch reports on a recent spate of gun violence across the city:
In other recent violence in Richmond:
- On Monday morning, Aarin A. Lambert, 17, was shot dead in the 900 block of West Ladies Mile Road.
- On Sunday, four blocks away from yesterday’s shooting, ice-cream vendor Dan Teodorescu, 31, of Romania was wounded at a parking lot on E.S.H. Greene Elementary School. A gunshot to his shoulder passed through his neck and vocal chords. He was listed in serious condition yesterday after surgery Sunday.
- On Friday, Devon Dionté Whiters, a 17-year-old George Wythe High School student, was shot outside an apartment in the Mosby Court public-housing complex. Rasin said he was in critical condition last night.
- On Sept. 23, two people were killed, including a bystander, after shots were fired at a car on Tifton Court.
Ikia Goodman, 25, was fatally shot outside her apartment in the 1600 block of Tifton Court, where she lived with her mother and sister.
Tyeron Vondell Massenburg, 22, an occupant of the car that was being fired upon, was found wounded a few blocks away in the car in the 4100 block of Hull Street. He died later at VCU Medical Center.
Police have made an arrest in the Goodman and Massenburg slayings.
- On Sept. 17, a city school bus carrying elementary students was struck by a bullet when it was caught in a gunfight near East Ladies Mile Road and Hazelhurst Avenue.
“This is an unfortunate spike in crime that is not in line with the significant reduction in crime that we already have seen this year,” Richmond Police Chief Rodney D. Monroe said in a statement released last night.
Most (if not all) of these shootings were in broad daylight. It looks like there is some kind of feud going on.
There’s no evidence of a feud going on, nor is this spike even necessarily a spike.
While homicides and aggravated assaults in Richmond may be down compared to the same time last year, robberies (overall) have risen and crime in general has not decreased all that much (the numbers are avail on the rpd website).
It’s hard to call something a spike when discussing such a short period of time. Day to day or even week to week fluctuations are just that.
While some incidents may be connected there is no reason to think all of them are and we shouldn’t jump to the conclusion just yet that this is out of the ordinary.
What seems strange to me is that so many of the recent shootings were in daylight and were not associated with a robbery. Also, all the victims were about the same age and either attended the same school or were in the same neighborhood (except the innocent bystanders).
I know that is not forensic evidence, but it does suggest that there is something going on. I’d rather suspect that something is out of the ordinary and be aware than to overlook the possibility.
There has also been an increase in teen shootings in the East End.
Beth,
Robbery and homicides/aggravated assaults (shootings) don’t always occur together or even necessarily most of the time. There are many reasons people shoot other people, only one of which is during a robbery. For instance, there are rival gangs defending their turf, passion killings between intimate partners, revenge for an earlier slight or confrontation etc….It could be coincidental or it could be the start of something different. No one really knows for sure and if the police do suspect something is different based on what they’re hearing or some specific evidence, you can be sure they are working on doing something about it. However, it’s not
Regarding the age/crime/school relationship. This is hardly uncommon. Over half the violent and serious property crimes that occur in this country are committed by those under 25 years old. And Richmond does not differ in this regard.
That school age juveniles resort to gun violence, while tragic and alarming, is sadly typical. The real tragedy is that they can easily get guns in the first place and that they choose to use them to settle their problems.
You should already be aware that we live in a city where there is an extraordinary number of gun related and other violent crimes and you have already taken steps to protect yourself and your home, regardless of whether crime is up or down.
Don’t let yourself unnecessarily fear something that may or may not be true because even if it’s up slightly, it does not mean your risk of victimization is necessarily any higher.
Oh, and by the way, below are some of the crime statistics in the Ginter Park neighborhood from 2005-2007.
1 Chamberlayne 927
2 Seminary 120
3 Brook 89
4 Azalea 53
5 Hawthorne 52
6 North 44
7 Montrose 43
8 Moss Side 42
9 Laburnum 40
10 Henrico 39
11 Noble 29
12 Edgewood Ave 23
13 Westwood 13
14 Rennie 11
15 Ladies Mile 7
16 Brookland Blvd 6
17 Melrose 6
18 Ordway 5
19 Watkins 4
20 Westbrook 4
21 Westminster 3
22 Bellevue 2
23 Walton 2
TOTAL 1564
I am sorry, but all of these shootings are probably not just a coincidence. You should be aware and not just “accept” a certain level of crime.
Just because this isn’t “new” doesn’t mean it should not be examined carefully. We really do have gang activity in Richmond. Maybe not the Crips and Bloods, but instead its Fulton, Fairmont, and other neighborhoods.
I myself have watched some of the neighborhood children fall into these “gangs” as they have grown older. Now two of them are in prison. Before that happened, I was so blind to it.
The statistics don’t really say anyting - what crimes do these numbers represent? I will look up the incident information on the police website.
You can be sure that the RPD is investigating them, and so is the State Police. That’s a fact.
What I would emphasize is that while some homicides may indeed be retaliatory from some earlier incident (which some of the recent ones could very well be) this should not lead you to think all homicides are that way. Besides, even if they are, it doesn’t mean they will necessarily continue. Homicides are down by over 30% in Richmond from last year so as I posted earlier, short term fluctuations could be just that.
Yes, Richmond has gangs, but they are just the outcome of other social problems even though they do play a role in the high crime rates here. But not all of these crimes are gang related. In fact, it might not be gang related even if the person is a known gang member.
It’s sad to have to watch kids you know be seduced by gangs.
I guess all I am suggesting is that people should be already be cognizant of the fact that crime is a prevalent social problem in Richmond, more so than other areas, and they should take the necessary steps to protect themselves regardless of any short-term fluctuations.
As for the statistics. I just thought I’d put them in there to show the differences in Crime by street in Ginter Park. These are all crimes including all NIBRS Group A crimes (most of the serious felonies) and some Group B crimes (misdemeanors and vice crimes). I cleaned up the data so that any repeats were eliminated. Also, I have them broken down by crime type. If you want to see them, please let me know. I’d be glad to send them to you.