Stats: Homicides and non-fatal shootings in Lexington are declining

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The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council took its first vote Tuesday to declare gun violence a public health emergency.

The council’s Social Services and Public Safety Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to move recommendations from a Gun Violence Task Force, made up of council members, community members and law enforcement, to the full council.

One of the recommendations from that task force was to elevate gun violence to a public health crisis, which could translate to more grant funding and public awareness about gun violence, backers say.

Tonya Lindsey of Sisters and Supporters Working Against Gun Violence, a nonprofit that helps families who have lost someone to gun violence, was also a member of the task force.

She urged the council to pass the recommendations.

“We are the face of gun violence. We know we have a problem with gun violence in Lexington, Kentucky,” Lindsey said Tuesday.

There is good news.

Lexington’s gun-related homicides and non-fatalities have steadily declined over the past several years, Lexington Police Department data shows.

From January to Sept. 27, there have been 13 gun-related homicides, according to city data.

During that same time period in 2023, there were 19 homicides involving guns.

There were 28 gun-related homicides during the same time period in 2022,

Full calendar year data also shows drops in gun-related homicides. Not all homicides involve guns but the vast majority of homicides do.

• In 2023, 22 of 24 homicides involved guns.
• In 2022, 36 of 44 homicides involved guns.
• Non-fatal shootings are also decreasing, police department data shows.
• From Jan. 1 to Oct. 6, there were 55 non-fatal shootings in Fayette County,
• During the same time period in 2023, there were 68 non-fatal shootings.

Lexington has seen a nearly 60% decrease in non-fatal shootings over the past three years, data shows.

In 2023, there was a total of 84 non-fatal shootings. In 2022, there was 119 non-fatal shootings. That’s a dramatic decrease from 2021, when there 135 non-fatal shootings.