Violent crime continued to trend downward in Richmond during the first quarter of 2026 in nearly every category, according to figures presented by the police department Thursday. 

The first three months of the year saw seven murders compared to 15 over the same time in 2025. Nonfatal shootings also fell from 39 to 33 and rapes from 10 to three during the quarter, with other major decreases in both commercial and individual robbery. 

The drop in murders is particularly significant given that over the past 10 years, Richmond has averaged 14 homicides in the first quarter of the year. 

Still, Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards called the declines “cold comfort to those people who have experienced gun violence.” 

“These are not numbers. These are actual human beings who suffer and their families suffer,” he said. “But it is important for us to acknowledge progress.” 

The only category in which violent crime rose was aggravated domestic assault, an increase that Edwards has attributed to a change in how the department classifies domestic assaults that involve strangulation. While those incidents were previously categorized as simple domestic assault, RPD in 2025 began reporting them as aggravated domestic assaults, a more serious crime that typically carries a felony charge. 

“We’re going to continue to see that increase,” Edwards warned. 

Spring Forward 

Police also reported a decline in shootings involving young people over spring break, a period when Richmond police have found gun violence usually spikes. 

This year saw the launch of the Spring Forward initiative, a collaboration among city agencies and community organizations to provide “safe, structured” programming between March 27 and April 5, when students were out of school. Officials said over 450 young people participated. 

“Our kids, sometimes they need outlets,” said Greg Hopkins, head of Richmond’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention. “If we don’t give it to them or provide it for them, they’ll seek other ways to do it, sometimes positively and, most times — often — we see negative outcomes.” 

Over the past five years, Richmond has had an average of roughly two shootings involving youth aged 17 and under over the spring break period. When young adults aged 18 to 24 are factored in, that average rises to more than five shootings.

Last year, police reported two homicides, one nonfatal shooting and one accidental shooting of young adults under age 25 during the break. 

This year saw no homicides but two nonfatal shootings: a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old, both of whom sustained non-life-threatening injuries in an incident during a pop-up party at a short-term rental in the Northside. James Mercante, a spokesperson for RPD, also said another adult under 25 was shot during the Spring Forward period, but it was determined to be an accidental self-inflicted wound.  

Edwards had specifically warned the public ahead of Spring Forward’s launch about the risks of unchaperoned pop-up parties that draw large numbers of young people with little to no oversight.

Property crimes and vape shops 

Property crime was more of a mixed bag. 

The first quarter has seen decreases in residential burglary, theft from motor vehicles and motor vehicle theft but increases in shoplifting, commercial burglary and theft of motor vehicle parts — the latter mostly due to catalytic converter thefts. 

Shoplifting “is now the crime driver,” said Edwards. 

More than half of all shoplifting cases occurred during the first quarter at state-run ABC stores, although Edwards indicated those locations may be overrepresented due to the strict reporting requirements that the Virginia agency has. 

“I’m quite sure there are corner stores that see shoplifting and just ignore it or don’t report it to us,” he said. 

The chief attributed the increases in those crimes to a 2021 change in Virginia law that got rid of a “three strikes” provision where a third conviction for petit larceny was automatically elevated to a felony rather than a misdemeanor. Criminal justice reformers and progressive prosecutors had argued the older law frequently imposed unnecessarily harsh sentences, saddled people suffering from mental illness or homelessness with a felony and encouraged mass incarceration. 

Edwards was more skeptical. 

“The law is a teacher, and I think until that law changes, we will continue to see petit larcenies,” he said. “These aren’t, like, kids who just steal a candy bar one time and then never do it again. These are people that view this as a profession, particularly with alcohol.” 

Much of the rise in commercial burglaries appears to be due to individuals and groups targeting vape shops temporarily shut down by the city under Operation Vaporize. More than half of the 51 commercial burglaries that occurred in the first quarter of the year were at these stores, and 13 of the vape shops that were burglarized had been shuttered for violating city rules. 

Edwards said RPD began patrolling closed vape shops after being alerted that they were being targeted. Police have arrested 17 people involved in the break-ins, including 14 juveniles who carried out multiple burglaries. One group of juveniles was involved in six different break-ins. 

Traffic enforcement 

After a string of pedestrian deaths this winter and spring, Richmond police said they have stepped up enforcement efforts. So far, the city has had seven traffic fatalities, four of them pedestrians. 

During the first quarter of the year, RPD officers issued more than 1,800 citations for traffic violations, as well as over 26,000 tickets generated by cameras that detect speeding in school zones, drivers who run red lights and drivers who illegally pass school buses. 

An additional 7,800 warnings for running red lights were also issued in the first month after the city turned on red light cameras at four intersections. 

Edwards also said the force is carrying out enforcement blitzes on higher-traffic roads, including a targeted effort on Laburnum and Chamberlayne avenues on April 7 and a monthlong focus on Huguenot Road, Richmond Highway and Chamberlayne. Those are in addition to heightened ticketing of drivers parking too close to intersections and crosswalks and the issuance of warnings during the month of April to vehicles parked in bike lanes. 

While arrests have been made in two recent pedestrian deaths — those of Kristen Tolbert and Hope Cartwright — no charges have been brought yet for the death of longtime Valentine Museum director Bill Martin, who was killed Dec. 27 while in a crosswalk near City Hall. 

“It’s still under investigation,” said Edwards Thursday. “There are some things that we’ve requested regarding some subpoena data that we’re waiting on, and then we’ll be able to provide the entire case to the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, who will ultimately make a decision on any potential charges.” 

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org