LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington's new Gun Violence Task Force is working to come up with solutions to the issue of gun violence in the city.
The group met for the second time on Thursday, diving deeper into its exploration of the root causes of gun violence.
The task force is divided into two groups, one made up of city leaders and one of residents.
Thursday's meeting of city leaders included representatives from the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, Lexington Police Department, Lexington Fire Department, and ONE Lexington. The task force is led by District 11 councilmember Jennifer Reynolds.
Discussion focused on mental health, domestic violence and the importance of speaking directly to the city's youth to curb violence in the future.
The task force is set to meet several times in the coming months before presenting a report and recommendations to the Urban County Council.
This year marks a significant decrease in homicides and shootings in Lexington from the previous two years.
As of September 14, the city reports 15 homicides. By September 14, 2022, the city had reported 34 homicides.
Still, Reynolds told LEX 18 on Thursday that there is still significant progress to be made.
"No matter what, we don't want to see anybody be a victim of gun violence," Reynolds said. "I've been around it enough the past few years myself to know that we need to work on prevention whether we're at 45 homicides a year or we're at 25."
The next meeting is set to take place on Thursday, October 19.
