RECENT COMMENTS

Homicides down in the East End, up in Richmond

On January 5, 2014, Emma Cook (a great grandmother in her 70s) was killed by her son Ronnie Cook in the 1900 block of Cedar Street. In the 110 or so days since then, the East End has not seen another homicide.

Approaching the 1/3 point for 2014, there have been 14 killings in Richmond but only the one in the East End. Ten of the 14 killings in the city have come on the city’s Southside.

Richmond had recorded 6 killings at this time last year, of which 3 were in the East End (on the way to count of 37 and 10).

Several recent years have also started off quietly in the East End. 2012 had only 1 killing through April, on the way to a record-tying low count of 9. 2011 saw 2 homicides at the 1/3rd mark, and would tally 12 by the end of December.

It wasn’t always like this… As recently as 2006, the end-of-April count for the East End was at 7; 2005 had seen 8 at this point and 2004 had suffered 11 killings before May.