RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Mayor Danny Avula announced the creation of a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention aimed at coordinating various programs across government agencies to address rising concerns about shootings in the city.

The announcement came during a Richmond Police Department crime briefing Wednesday morning, where officials discussed recent violence statistics.

The new office will focus on bringing together existing programs at the city, state and federal levels to help high-risk individuals, including victims of gun violence and young adults who have been involved in the criminal justice system.

He said while there are many different programs to help curb gun violence, Avula said the critical missing piece was bringing them all together.

The announcement comes amid concerning violence statistics. So far this year, eight children have been shot in Richmond, with one fatality. Richmond Police report 14 murders and 39 non-fatal shootings to date.

Aggravated assault is up 39% compared to this time last year, with a total of 135 reported so far.

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Despite these incidents, Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards noted that overall major crime is down compared to previous periods.

The Office of Gun Violence Prevention is expected to begin operations next month.

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