LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — When considering safety in the city of Lexington, locals run the gamut of reactions.
“My wife and I talk about how Lexington seems like a small, quaint, big city, so it’s perfect for us,” said Zach Turner.
On the other hand, Lexingtonian Kevin Kinney recalled the shooting that occurred just blocks away from his home a couple weeks ago.
Another local sharing her perspective said, “I think it's gotten worse…I don't think people feel as safe as they once did because things are changing, the world is changing.”
Regardless of where people feel Lexington falls on the violence spectrum, new stats show an improvement.
By this time last year, Lexington had already recorded 23 homicides. That’s compared to nine so far this year.
Based on stats from Datalytics, Lexington isn’t the only city seeing relief from the violence.
According to Datalytics, Cincinnati’s murder count is down 24%, Milwaukee’s is down 30%, Toledo, Tulsa, and St. Louis are down, and Savannah’s murder count has dropped 88% since last year.
Yet, even as homicides go down, mass shootings are setting new records.
The Gun Violence Archive has recorded 319 mass shootings since the start of 2023.
According to the archive, mass shootings are defined as an incident in which four or more victims are shot or killed.
For some locals, like Kevin Kinney, it’s the fear of a mass shooting that overshadows the potential of a homicide.
“I think the thing that makes me most fearful is mass shootings and things like that,” said Kinney. “Being in a crowded place and being stuck in a situation like that is pretty scary.”
