RICHMOND, Va. β Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards announced this morning that major crime dropped 12% in 2025 compared to 2024.
The 54 murders recorded in 2025 matched the previous year's total but represented the lowest number in eight years. Non-fatal shootings, which can be an indicator of overall gun violence, decreased 15% to their lowest level in 10 years.
"All persons shot, which is a stat that we really like to keep because it makes sense, because as I've mentioned the intent is almost always the same," Edwards said. "So when you combine gun-related murders and the non-fatal shootings, the average is 268, we had 221 this year, but you can just really see where that is trending in the right direction."
While overall robberies declined, commercial robberies surged 32%. Edwards noted that many of these incidents involved shoplifting at 7-Eleven stores that escalated to violence. More than a quarter of all commercial robberies targeted vape shops.
Domestic aggravated assault cases more than doubled from 88 in 2024 to 187 in 2025, which Edwards attributed to new reporting criteria that better capture these incidents.
The police chief also addressed celebratory gunfire during New Year's Eve celebrations, announcing that 11 people have been charged in connection with these incidents and 30 guns have been seized.
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