Lexington ties previous homicide record over the weekend

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Lexington tied last year’s homicide record over the weekend.

So far, 37 people have been killed in 2022. The latest was early Sunday morning on Oxford Circle.

Lexington’s first homicide of the year was back on January 3. Police say 24-year-old D’Andre Malik Green was shot and killed on Anniston Drive.

May has been the deadliest month for the city in 2022 with 11 homicides. All but two were gun-related.

Police say two of the cases in May stemmed from domestic violence. Nikki James is accused of stabbing her son and daughter at their apartment on Rogers Road. Police say Steven Wilson shot and killed his wife and two daughters at their home on Caywood Drive.

Of the year’s 37 homicides, 32 have been gun-related. Seven of the victims were 25 or younger, with the youngest victim being only 10 years old.

According to the Lexington police website, 15 of the year’s 37 homicides are still open investigations, including the year’s first homicide on January 3.

WKYT talked one-on-one with the police chief about the rise in violence.

“What we find out is that when you do that, you’re not addressing somebody that’s involved in criminal activity. You’re just addressing them because they belong to or they associate with somebody and that’s, that’s unacceptable,” Chief Lawrence Weathers said.

Chief Weathers said he’s looking at programs that specifically address those who are more prone to commit violent acts, such as the violent impact player program.

“Our hope is to do what we normally do when we have programs presented to us is, it’s okay if they work in theory, but we want to see if they work in practice. So we may be looking at Cleveland or some other cities that use that,” Chief Weathers said.

He explains that in a majority of Lexington’s shootings, the people involved have had some kind of interaction beforehand.

“I guess the term is they have some kind of beef and they decide to settle it, but the weapon of choice is a firearm,” Chief Weathers said.

Weathers laid out what he wants to see in the future.

“With these personal interactions, these personal ‘beefs,’ you know I’d like to see some more people reaching out. Talking to people and maybe getting education out there about how to resolve differences without coming to that,” Chief Weathers said.

He said members of the community sharing information with police is an important step.

“We need more people to come forward. The reality of it is if they’re afraid that something bad is going to happen if they say something, then that emboldens criminals even more,” Chief Weathers said.

Anonymous tips can be submitted to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling (859) 253-2020, online at www.bluegrasscrimestoppers.com, or through the P3 Tips app available at www.p3tips.com.

Copyright 2022 WKYT. All rights reserved.