RICHMOND, Va. -- After a murder near Mosby Court early Thursday morning, Richmond has now seen three homicides more than this time last year.
But overall, Chief Will Smith says due to COVID-19 and social distancing, violent crime is down.
"We have finally seen a reduction three weeks in a row now,” said Smith. “Richmond is a safe place and our community is responding positively to the challenging circumstances."
At the same time, city police confirm they are experiencing an uptick in domestic issues.
Crime Insider sources say that a majority of the calls tend to deal with family versus family members.
"We have seen increases in domestic assaults,” said Smith. “Some are simple assaults, others are domestic aggravated assaults. Similarly we've seen an increase in neighbor disputes: people who are not normally home are exposed to more stresses. That is a challenge. So as a community, I say we are all in this together and we need to look out for one another."
