Overview

• Non-fatal shootings fell from 62 in summer 2024 to 44 in summer 2025 during Operation Safe Summer, a 33% decrease reported by Chief Rick Edwards.
• RPD says 2025 has the lowest non-fatal shooting totals to date, though one report lists identical year-to-date counts for 2024 and 2025 despite a cited 16% decline.
• Officers seized 250 firearms and eight machine-gun conversion devices during the summer initiative, along with more than 3,550 grams of narcotics, 45 pounds of marijuana and over $90,000 in cash.
• Overall violent crime ticked up versus 2024 even as shootings fell, with aggravated domestic assaults up 89% after a reclassification of strangulation-related offenses and accidental shootings increasing 26%.
• Edwards is advancing a gun-free zone concept for Shockoe Bottom that would require guidance from the city attorney and Commonwealth's Attorney, with potential time-limited rules and entry screening under discussion.