2016-09-18

http://wtvr.com/2016/09/16/man-shot-killed-in-gilpin-court/

RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond reached a milestone no one wanted to achieve after a man was shot and killed in Gilpin Court Friday evening.

It marked the 42 homicide this year in Richmond. That is officially more homicides than all of 2015 in the River City. There were 41 last year.



Man shot to death in Gilpin Court

“It is saddening because we are not numb to the loss of life,” said Rev. Rosalind Criss, Associate Minister New Life Deliverance Tabernacle.

Charles Willis, Executive Director United Communities Against Crime, spoke about, “a lack of being responsible a lack of having regard for life human life and a lack of teaching a lack of training.”

Both Criss and Willis are working with groups in Central Virginia to try to stop the killing in their community.

One idea Willis wants to see in action is teaching Richmonders to be peer mediators to prevent violence.

“They are mediating with their own peers resolving the conflict before it can get violent because if they get to fighting and it becomes violent it's going to end up the wrong way every time,” Willis said.

Also, a series of workshops to teach and implement violence prevention strategies is being held. New Life Deliverance Tabernacle hosts a women’s empowerment summit October 6 -8, at the church at 900 Decatur Street in Richmond.



Rev. Rosalind Criss

“There are so many ills within our community that have yet to be addressed, but it is our purpose that as we infuse women with empowering information and empowering strategies they can speak into the lives of the men that they are connected and certainly we can begin to heal,” Criss said.

The summit is open to all and is not restricted to women.

“We would hope that our attendees would take the information that they receive the inspiration that they receive and that they be motivated to go out into the communities into their homes and into themselves first of all and bring about change,” Criss added.

The city maintains a list of lives lost to homicide along with the status of each investigation.

Stay with WTVR.com and CBS 6 News for continuing coverage of this important story.

Show more