Newport News Reports Sharp Drops in Homicides, Shootings
Newport News reported major declines in homicides and nonfatal shootings in its 2026 State of the City report, saying its Momentum for Peace public-safety plan met or exceeded all three goals established for an 18-month period.
The city reported a 63% reduction in homicides and a 38% reduction in nonfatal shootings. Taken together, Newport News described the results as a 47% decline in the most serious forms of gun violence.
The report was issued April 13, 2026. The figures are the city’s stated measure of progress on a public-safety initiative that affects violence-prevention policy, police and community partnerships, and residents’ concerns about serious crime.
Goals set for the Momentum for Peace plan
Newport News said it had committed to three public-safety goals: creating an Office of Community Safety, reducing the overall homicide rate, and cutting shootings by 15% within 18 months.
The city said it met and exceeded all three targets. The reported 38% reduction in nonfatal shootings was more than twice the plan’s stated 15% shooting-reduction goal.
The report attributes the progress to prevention, partnership and accountability under Momentum for Peace. It names Chief Drew and Chief Rogers in connection with public-safety leadership.
Newport News Police Department and Newport News Fire Department are among the city entities identified in connection with the initiative. The public report presents the reductions as a result of the broader plan’s approach rather than assigning the change solely to one department or program.
What the numbers show—and what they do not
The percentages provide the city’s top-line assessment of how serious violence changed under the plan. They do not, by themselves, show how many homicides or shootings occurred before or after the comparison used by the city.
The State of the City transcript does not state the comparison periods or provide raw incident counts for the reductions. As a result, the reported 63%, 38% and 47% figures cannot be converted into specific numbers of incidents from the report alone.
The combined 47% figure refers to the city’s description of the reduction in its two most serious gun-violence categories. It is a city-reported summary measure, while the homicide and nonfatal-shooting percentages are reported separately.
Why the report matters locally
Homicides and shootings are among the most consequential public-safety measures for Newport News. The city’s report links the latest figures to a policy framework that includes prevention, coordination and accountability, giving local officials a benchmark for evaluating the initiative.
The results also establish the city’s own standard for the next phase of the work. Newport News has said the plan met its initial goals, including the 15% shooting-reduction target set for 18 months. Continued evaluation will determine whether the reported reductions persist and how the city’s Office of Community Safety and public-safety partners build on the plan.
For now, the city’s official conclusion is that Momentum for Peace exceeded its public-safety targets, with the largest reported change being a 63% decline in homicides and a 38% decline in nonfatal shootings.
Sources
- State of the City 2026, City of Newport News
- Newport News Official Website Latest Headlines, City of Newport News
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