Shockoe Bottom gun violence surges early in 2026
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Incidents of gun violence in Shockoe Bottom started trending up last year following a few years of improvement after an especially violent 2018 for the nightlife district.
- That's per a review of Shockoe Bottom homicides, non-fatal shootings and other aggravated assaults stats from 2016-2025 shared with Axios by Richmond Police.
State of play:: Business owners say they're fed up with the cycle and desperately need solutions.
Stunning stat: With last weekend's mass shooting, Shockoe Bottom has recorded the same number of homicides (two) and non-fatal shootings (seven) in the first two months of 2026 than it did in 2023 and 2024 combined, per the RPD data.
- It also puts the district on track to exceed the gun violence recorded in the Bottom last year when Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards started sounding the alarm about "off the charts" gun activity there.
What they're saying: "We are all hanging on by a thread down there," Jackie Bishop Wells, who owns club Fallout on 18th Street, said at a Richmond public safety meeting this week.
- Some business owners have reported a 40%-50% drop in business since Saturday's shooting, WWBT reports.
- One Shockoe business, Architessa tile company, said they've been operating by appointment-only since a 2025 shooting. When their lease is up at the end of the year, they're moving out, they told WWBT.
The latest: In response to shooting, Edwards said RPD is installing additional surveillance cameras and will extend weekend patrols until 4am beginning this weekend.
- RPD is down about 160 officers, so Edwards is mandating overtime to staff police in the Bottom, per the Times-Dispatch.
- Other solutions city officials proposed include putting a police sub station in the neighborhood and making the Bottom a gun-free zone, WRIC reports.
- Creating a gun-free zone would likely require action by the General Assembly, though, and any pending legislation has been pushed until next year.
"It gets really complicated, really quickly, when you talk about gun laws in Virginia," Edwards told the RTD this week.
What's next: Richmond police and the FBI are now asking anyone with video of the incident to upload it to the FBI tip line.