LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Since last fall, a citywide task force has been meeting to address gun violence in the city. Now, they're finalizing a list of recommendations to make Lexington a safer place to live.
Since 2021, the number of homicides and shootings in the city has dropped dramatically.
Between January and April 2021, the Lexington Police Department reported 14 homicide investigations and 31 shooting investigations.
In that same timeframe in 2024, the department reported just four homicide investigations and 21 shooting investigations.
While it appears the city is making progress in the fight against gun violence, the Gun Violence Task Force was established to make even more progress.
"We're doing great things. How can we improve on what we're doing?" said councilmember Jennifer Reynolds, District 11.
After months of meetings with community and city leaders, the task force created a list of recommendations for the Urban County Council.
Some of those recommendations include:
- Defining gun violence as a "public health crisis"
- Expanding access to community centers
- Funding counseling for families impacted by gun violence
- Creating a grant for victim services for those affected by gun violence
"When we talk about elevating gun violence to a public health crisis, it talks about giving it time, resources and attention," Reynolds said, adding that defining the problem as a public health crisis would allow the city to partner with the health department to create public service announcements, for example.
Families impacted by gun violence agree it is a crisis.
"It affects everyone," said Theresa Lacefield. Her son, DeVante Bell, was killed in a shooting in Lexington in 2021.
"When you lose a child, your soul cries. You lose everything," she said. "You never get that back."
She added that despite any efforts to curb gun violence, it's difficult to imagine anything helping after the loss of her son.
"You can give and give and give and do everything that you can do, but that's person's heart is still broken," she said.
The task force is working to refine its recommendations and create more concrete action items for the Urban County Council. Reynolds said that work will likely continue through the summer.
