HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — News 3 introduced its homicide tracker last year — the first of its kind to aggregate, track and report homicide deaths in Hampton Roads.
We contacted the police departments for the seven cities in Hampton Roads for updates on suspects charged in homicides in 2023.
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Hampton Roads 2023 Homicide Tracker
Here is a recap:
In 2023, there were 200 homicide victims in Hampton Roads.
Newport News saw the most homicide victims last year with 45, followed by Norfolk with 42 and Portsmouth with 39.
In fact, Newport News reported 10 homicide victims in August of last year, which is two times the number of homicide victims any other city in Hampton Roads saw in a given month.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said that many of the city's victims knew each other.
"Most importantly, we must remember that these are more than numbers," Chief Drew said. "Each one is a person with a family – a part of our community. They matter."
Hampton saw a total of 27 homicide victims last year.
Suffolk saw the fewest number of victims with 11, followed by Chesapeake with 14 victims, and Virginia Beach with 22.
August marked the most violent month for homicides in Hampton Roads with 25 homicide victims, followed by January with 23 victims, and February with 21 victims.
At least 18 people under the age of 18 were murdered in 2023, with at least 16 of them killed by gun violence.
Roughly 80 people between the ages of 18 and 30 were killed last year, with all cases involving a firearm.
While police departments often track homicides by incident, News 3 tracks the data based on the number of victims involved.
Data shows that Hampton Roads law enforcement saw 188 homicide incidents, with a total of 200 homicide victims.
Out of those 188 incidents, 82 suspects have been identified as wanted or a person of interest, or have been charged in connection to those crimes.
At the start of the new year, the Portsmouth Police Department partnered with Third Baptist Church for the Community Prayer Vigil calling for peace and reconciliation in honor of the city’s 2023 homicide victims.
Several families who lost loved ones to gun violence filled the pews of Third Baptist Church and held candles for the 39 people killed in Portsmouth in 2023.
"Portsmouth is worth saving," Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover said.
The pastor of Third Baptist Church, Joseph Flemins, said his church has been impacted by the city’s homicides.
"We have seen mothers bury their children so the church has to stand with families," Flemins said. "We have grieved over and over again, whether we have done it in this sanctuary or in funeral homes."
As of February 8 of this year, the seven cities have seen at least 16 homicide victims.
News 3 is also tracking homicides in the Hampton Roads region for 2024, which you can view below.
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