RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin says violent crime is a crisis in the Commonwealth and he's launched a task force to deal with it.
The new task force, announced Monday, is a collaborative effort between the governor, Attorney General Jason Miyares and community and law enforcement leaders across Virginia.
“There is a clear recognition of a violent crime crisis in Virginia and my administration is committed to joining with community leaders, law enforcement, and Virginians around solutions with the Violent Crime task force. We will take a comprehensive look at how we can address the rise in violent crime by providing more law enforcement resources, creating alternative and after-school activities for children, and addressing the fear that results in witnesses failing to show up for a criminal hearing,” Youngkin said in a statement.
Miyares said fighting violent crime is a collaborative effort and his team is looking forward to being a part of it.
“There’s not a one size fits all approach to combating crime in the Commonwealth. It requires collaboration and communication with law enforcement, local officials, and community leaders. My team is excited to be a part of this new task force and we’re eager to work with our partners in the executive branch to carry out new, innovative solutions that will help to reduce crime and keep our communities safe,” Miyares said in a press release.
The new task force is led by Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Bob Mosier, with additional leadership provided by the Chief Deputy Attorney General Chuck Slemp. Additional participants include leaders from the Governor’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Criminal Justice Services, Virginia State Police and others.
To date, state leaders have met with local leaders in Virginia Beach, Newport News, Norfolk, and Petersburg, with additional meetings planned in the coming weeks.
News of the task force comes as police in Prince William County are investigating a double homicide in Woodbridge.
Officers responded to the Woodbridge Station Apartments Sunday afternoon, just after 4 p.m., for a report of destruction of property.
A resident of an apartment told police that a bullet hole was discovered in his ceiling and it appeared to have come from the apartment above. Officers attempted contact at the apartment where the gunshot was believed to have been fired to perform a welfare check on the people inside.
They got no response at the door and had maintenance open the door. Two men were found inside, unresponsive and suffering from gunshot wounds.
Investigators say there were no signs of forced entry into the apartment and no other injuries were reported.
The two men were identified as Malik Xavier Lamar Davis of Woodbridge, and Christian Jamar Roberts of Dumfries. Both men were 23 years old.
Detectives are still investigating what led up to the shooting. Preliminarily, the incident does not appear to be random and there is no active threat to the community.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Prince William County Police at 703-792-7000.