Remembering the lives lost and the trauma of gun violence

Gun-related incidents are down, according to a recent police report, but they continuing to happen with disturbing regularity across our area.

The Charlottesville Police Department released a report Monday congratulating itself on “reducing gun-related incidents” in 2025, saying they decreased by 51% from 2024 to 2025, “marking one of the most substantial public safety improvements in recent years,” the report said.

“Reducing gun violence remains one of our highest priorities,” said Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis. “A 51% reduction in gun-related incidents represents real lives impacted and real harm prevented. This progress is the result of our dedicated staff, strong partnerships with our community, and data-driven strategies that focus on both accountability and prevention.”

Of course, while those are stats to be happy about, they can be an abstraction that really doesn’t allow for reflection on the trauma that gun violence has caused over the last year. And the many ways and places they occur. Indeed, the regularity of gun violence in our area tends to cause specific instances to fade from memory.

The DTM recorded 58 shooting incidents in our area in 2024 and 51 shootings incident in 2025. Here are some notable gun-related incidents from 2025. More information about these incidents can be found here:

January

A 19-year-old male was shot in the leg on Upper Brook Court to begin the year, followed by shots fired near Stribling Avenue and West Main; an armed robbery on South Street; a woman in Louisa shot her landlord when he came to the door; murder of Jahaanz Wilson, 22, in the Water Street parking lot; 45 shots fired on Page Street one night.

February

Juvenile threatens another juvenile with an AR-style rifle on Hardy Drive; shots fired in the 200 block of 4th St NW; shooter at Harris Teeter in Crozet kills two before being killed by off-duty cop.

March

Murder-suicide on Loblolly Lane.

April

Shootout with police at Pine Haven Court with one wounded; shots fired at Tom Tom Festival block party.

May

Two people wounded at County Green Road Exxon; suicide at the Rotunda; Marcus Allen Vargas, 30, shot dead at Kents Store Way; multiple buildings and vehicles struck by gunfire on Country Green Road; home struck on Simpson Lane.

June

One wounded on Downtown Mall; another wounded on the Downtown Mall.

July

Five people shot and wounded on Orangedale Avenue, including a an 11-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl; one seriously wounded on 7 ½ Street SW; Waynesboro road rage shooting.

August

16-year-old shot at the Moonshine Market in Waynesboro; man shot and wounded at Charlottesville Union Station; suicide on East Market Street.

September

Teens fire 49 shots on 1st Street South and flee police; tow truck driver shot on Peyton Drive; woman assaulted and shot and dropped off at the entrance to the Lake Monticello; murder-suicide in Covesville.

October

Man wounded on Doyles Side Lane in Crozet; vehicle struck on Commonwealth Drive; man brings a gun to Scottsville Elementary School and is disarmed by police.

November

Four people wounded in shootout on River Road; suicide in PVCC parking lot; fight and shooting at a large party (over 100 people) on Toms Road in Barboursville.

December

Shots fired on Sunrise Elementary School soccer field; house struck on Stewart Circle; one wounded in shootout on Slate Mill Branch Road.