Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - Acting Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards announced Richmond's crime numbers for the first quarter, revealing a mixed bag of changes.
Violent crime was down 7% overall, according to Edwards, though murder was up from 13 cases to 17. Non-fatal shootings were down, however, as were shootings with multiple victims.
Property crime, on the other hand, was up, driven largely by shoplifting. 48% of property crimes were shoplifting cases, and 52% of those were thefts from ABC stores. Edwards says Richmond Police will be partnering with ABC and enlisting the community's help to combat this. He also identified thefts from cars -- predominantly unlocked ones -- as a major issue, especially the theft of guns left in cars.