ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Overall crime in Roanoke dropped 23% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, police said Thursday. This, despite the city recording seven murders so far this year.
The city saw nine murders in all of 2025. This year has seen five homicide incidents, the same amount as this time last year, but two of them were double homicides.
Roanoke Police released crime statistics for January through March at a briefing on Thursday. Violent crime across the city fell 28% compared to last year. Rape, aggravated assault, and robberies each declined between 24% and 36%…