2002 HOMICIDE RATE ATTRIBUTED TO DRUGS

More than a third came at year's end

The average homicide victim in Richmond last year was a 30-year-old black
man shot during a drug dispute, according to city police statistics.

More than 60 percent of the city's homicides last year were drug-related,
with crack cocaine being the No. 1 drug involved and heroin running a close
second.

Most of the killings - 79 of 84 - were committed with a firearm.

Most of the victims - 74 of 84 - were male.

And most of them - 69 of 84 - were black.

"Anyone who says drugs don't kill just needs to take a look at the numbers,"
Richmond Police Chief Andre Parker said Monday during a news conference
announcing a recent drug sweep.

Last August, Richmond police teamed with local offices of the Drug
Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Attorney's office to target open-air drug
dealers.

Since the law-enforcement groups started cracking down on drug operations,
the number of homicides has risen.

The number of homicides in Richmond jumped to 84 last year, up from 70 in
2001. Much of the increase is attributed to an increase in homicides at the
end of 2002. In November and December, 29 people were killed, accounting for
more than a third of the city's homicides for the year.

And they came during the months when the DEA, the U.S. Attorney's Office and
city police were targeting Richmond drug criminals. The three agencies have
made four drug sweeps in recent months - in August, October, November and
early this year.

This year, the city has reported 14 homicides - the same number as at this
time last year.

"It's the goal of the Richmond Police Department, the DEA and the U.S.
Attorney to ensure everything is being done from a law-enforcement
perspective to ensure that violence is kept at a minimum," said Nick
Broughton, a local DEA investigator. "We've been chipping away at a bigger
problem and hoping to keep the number [of homicides] as low as possible."

Broughton said efforts like the recent drug sweeps help slow down the
homicide rate, but "Now that we see these increasing numbers, it's forcing
us to revisit our approaches."

He said more drug sweeps are planned for this year but he would not discuss
specifics.

"I don't think there's any silver-bullet answer," he said.

Paul J. McNulty, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, said earlier this
week that Richmond's narcotics problem is cyclic in nature. Heroin addicts
sell crack cocaine to buy heroin.

"We have drug dealers selling drugs to use drugs," he said.

Last year's youngest homicide victim was a 15-year-old boy. The oldest was
an 88-year-old woman.

Three of last year's homicide victims were stabbed, one was strangled and
one was beaten to death. The rest were shot.