HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Gun violence on our streets has left families heartbroken and young people dead and injured.
News 3 is taking a deeper look at gun violence, examining who is being impacted the most and what's being done to make change.
“We’re in a pandemic, and now we have an epidemic with gun violence,” said Gaylene Kanoyton, the Virginia NAACP Region One vice president. “Gun violence is a public health crisis, and it should be addressed just like any other health crisis.”
News 3 is constantly reporting gun violence in Hampton Roads. In recent weeks, there has been a spike in shootings, which is common in the summer months.
Dr. Tremayne Johnson is the pastor at Zion Baptist Church in Newport News. He is also the president of the Coalition of Concerned Clergy 757, which is a group of religious leaders who have been meeting regularly to discuss issues in the community.
As families are pleading for answers after loved ones have been shot, people like Johnson come to help in these difficult times.
“It is a different feeling to hear someone call you at 3 o’clock in the morning and say, 'It’s my son this time,'” said Johnson, “To hear that cry... it’s like no other.”
Gun violence is not a new problem, but a recent increase in Hampton Roads has some community leaders desperately wanting change.
News 3 met up community activists, leaders with the NAACP and professors to talk about the issue.
“This is more than just people shooting each other or knowing each other - this goes deeper to the disparities that are in our community. The housing, the food insecurities, and the list just goes on,” said Kanoyton.
News 3 requested the gun related homicides per city in recent years in Hampton Roads.
As of June 28, 2021, there were 71 people killed by gun violence.
In 2020, of the 165 people killed, 142 of them were Black, making up the vast majority of victims.
Number of Gun-Related Homicides in Hampton Roads* by Locality of Event (Shooting) and Year of Death, 2018-2021
| Locality of Event (Shooting) | 2018 | 2019 | 2020** | 2021** |
| ACCOMACK | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| CHESAPEAKE | 10 | 6 | 14 | 9 |
| FRANKLIN CITY | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| GLOUCESTER COUNTY | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HAMPTON | 15 | 14 | 23 | 11 |
| ISLE OF WIGHT | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| JAMES CITY COUNTY | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| NEWPORT NEWS | 22 | 25 | 20 | 9 |
| NORFOLK | 26 | 28 | 45 | 22 |
| PORTSMOUTH | 19 | 17 | 29 | 10 |
| SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SUFFOLK | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| VIRGINIA BEACH | 18 | 30 | 17 | 5 |
| YORK COUNTY | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 118 | 132 | 165 | 71 |
* Hampton Roads includes Accomack, Chesapeake, Franklin City, Gloucester, Hampton, Isle of Wight, James City County, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Southampton, Suffolk, Surry, Virginia Beach, Williamsbug, and York
** Data for 2020 and 2021 is preliminary and subject to change. Data is as current as of June 28, 2021
Number of Gun-Related Homicides in Hampton Roads* by Race/Ethnicity and Year of Death, 2018-2021**
| Race/Ethnicity | 2018 | 2019 | 2020** | 2021** |
| Asian | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Black | 91 | 97 | 142 | 59 |
| Hispanic | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| White | 20 | 28 | 17 | 9 |
| Other | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Total | 118 | 132 | 165 | 71 |
* Hampton Roads includes Accomack, Chesapeake, Franklin City, Gloucester, Hampton, Isle of Wight, James City County, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Southampton, Suffolk, Surry, Virginia Beach, Williamsbug, and York
** Data for 2020 and 2021 is preliminary and subject to change. Data is as current as of June 28, 2021
“I’m not surprised. I’m not surprised at all,” said Kanoyton.
“People are going back outside again, and the violence is escalating to what it was,” said Pastor Willard Maxwell, the Newport News NAACP president.
Many of the recent cases involved kids and young adults.
Dr. Tim Goler is an assistant professor at Norfolk State University. He said, “The issue of gun violence is complex and is multi-layered, so the simplest way I can describe it is: Environment dictates behavior.”
Goler said there will be problems when some communities are under-resourced, suffer from cycles of generational trauma, and when people have limited money, jobs and food.
“When the family unit is weak, you're going to get violence, depression, anger…. we shouldn't be surprised,” said Goler. “We live in communities that are ravaged with a lot of suffering. It's not the question of what is wrong with these children - we should be asking what happened to them; what is going on in their family; what is happening in their communities.”
Kanoyton said the NAACP is organizing a meeting with city managers and police chiefs to discuss issues.
“It needs to go deeper when talking about these gun shootings, and that needs to be addressed,” said Kanoyton. “There needs to be programs and resources tied to solving this issue.”
“If we don’t come together, then we'll tear each other apart,” said Johnson. “I think we need to birth again what it means to be a village - everybody caring for one another, no matter color or creed - that we come together as one people.”
