‘It’s a community problem.’ Lexington police chief addresses record homicide numbers.
The city of Lexington broke its annual homicide record after a 51-year-old man was shot and killed on Tuesday evening.
Ramon Pennie was shot and killed on Hill Street Tuesday night, marking the 35th homicide in Lexington in 2021. That surpassed the record number of 34 in 2020. With a few weeks until the calendar flips to 2022, it’s possible the new-record homicide count could rise.
Lexington Chief of Police Lawrence Weathers hosted a press conference Tuesday afternoon to address the high number of homicides. He said a number of factors play into the disturbing trend, but the root of the problem starts within the community.
“What I know for a fact is that this is not just a police problem, it’s not a city, government problem, it’s a community problem,” Weathers said. “Where we can do things immediately on the front end, I think all of us working together in the community, with the community’s help, can do things not just to alleviate and reduce criminal activity, especially homicides in the short long, but in the long run.”
Mayor Linda Gorton shares Weathers’ belief.
“We have to have everyone here invested,” Gorton said. “I’m not talking about in this room, and the chief mentioned government can’t do it all, we need our people. We need our people in the neighborhoods, we need our people who work downtown, who live downtown, who live in the suburbs to start stepping up and do their part and helping with this.”
Weathers said the number of violent crimes, such as assaults, robberies, murders, etc., has gone down in Lexington over the last few years despite homicides being up. He said he’s unsure if that pattern is gang related, but police do have a gang unit investigating such cases.
Weathers also believes the circumstances of today’s world, such as social unrest and the lengthy pandemic, could play a role in the rising numbers.
“I think we’re seeing a lot of frustrations and some things seem to be bubbling to the surface,” Weathers said.
Despite the high numbers, Weathers said the city is utilizing technology more to solve the open cases, while Gorton said the city continues to put a high emphasis on public safety.
“If you don’t have safe neighborhoods, then you can forget about all of the other quality of life issues, and you know we’re big on quality of life here,” Gorton said. “Public safety is the foundation for us being a good city.”
Weathers said he still thinks Lexington is a safe place.
“Lexington is a safe city. It’s one of the safest cities in the country, so people shouldn’t be afraid to come here,” Weathers said.
Police are reminding the public to share information about cases with them. People can reach the police directly at 859-258-3600 or submit an anonymous tip to the Bluegrass Crime Stoppers at bluegrasscrimestoppers.com.
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 5:03 PM.
