Coalition sees report on murder statistics in Danville

The majority of murders in Danville are committed by young black males, who are killing other young black males, according to an analysis of the murders committed between Jan. 1, 2008, and March 2, 2010, by the Danville Police Department.

Danville Police Chief Philip Broadfoot presented his findings to the Coalition for a Safe Danville on Wednesday.

Of the 24 murders —10 each in 2008 and 2009, and four by March 2 of this year — most occurred on Friday and Saturday nights between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., with most of the victims being shot by 9 mm handguns.

Broadfoot said most of the suspects and victims knew each other, and the murders were drug or gang related, or the result of a domestic argument.

Eighteen of the 24 suspects were black — three were white and one is listed as unknown, while 19 of the victims were black and four white. The suspects are predominantly male, with only one a female and one unknown. The majority of the victims — 18 — were also male.

The assessment showed the majority of suspects — 16 of 22 — were unemployed. They are just as likely to have graduated from high school as they are to be dropouts, came from single-parent homes, either held no driver’s license or had it suspended and did not own a car.

The study showed most suspects were under 21 (8) or between the ages of 21 and 30 (7). While their victims predominantly fell in the same age ranges (12), many instances showed the suspect was younger than the victim.

Both the suspects and the victims generally had criminal records — 18 of the suspects, two of whom murdered more than one person, and 20 of the victims. Most criminal records of both suspects and victims involved mainly non-violent crimes: suspect records showed they had committed 128 non-violent and 49 violent crimes, while victims had committed 122 non-violent and 35 violent crimes.

As a result of the analysis, Danville police created generalized descriptions of both victims and suspects, which came out eerily similar:

“Generalized Victim Description: Unmarried black male in his 20’s from a single parent home who has a high school education but is unemployed with no car and no license. He would have a criminal record, would know his assailant and would die from a 9mm handgun as a result of his willing involvement in an argument, drug or gang related incident during the evening hours of a Friday or Saturday night in a residential area in the central section of Danville.

“Generalized Suspect Description: Unmarried black male under 21 from a single parent home who is equally likely to have or not have a high school education, but is unemployed with no car and no license. He would have a criminal record (an average of eight, one more than his victim), would know his victim and kill him with a 9mm handgun as a result of his willing involvement in an argument, drug or gang related incident during the evening hours of a Friday or Saturday night in a residential area in the central section of Danville.”

“I’d love nothing more than to see the murder rate go down,” City Manager Joe King told the group of about 50 members of the coalition, and suggested setting up a task force to deal directly with young men who fit into this “subculture.”

King called the issue urgent, and while needing jobs “is a given,” said he wants to see the issue dealt with quickly.

“A task group needs to deal with the guys right now,” King said.

The Rev. Derrick Mercer, chair of the coalition and pastor or Rhema Cultural Christian Center, said he gets out in the community and talks with people in all walks of life, and recommended that more people do so.

King said people willing to work directly with such a task force could call his office at (434) 799-6510 and he would work to help them coordinate their efforts.

Broadfoot said the suspect and victim analyses would be posted on the coalition’s website. Go to http://www.danville-va.gov/ and click on Coalition for a Safe Danville, which appears in the left column of the city’s home page.