VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Gun violence in Virginia Beach continues to trend downward, with the city recording fewer shootings so far this year compared with the same period in 2025, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
As of Sept. 30, the department reported 26 shootings in 2026, down from 33 during the same period last year. Police officials said the figure marks the lowest number of shootings recorded over the past four years.
"What we've seen from year to date is that shooting incidents are down over 21%," Deputy Chief Brad Wesseler said. "When we look back historically, since 2023 in that time frame, we've seen shooting incidents decrease by over 50%."
The decline comes after a challenging start to the warmer months, which included two mass shootings at the Oceanfront and another at Kemps River Crossing.
Wesseler said the department used those incidents as an opportunity to evaluate its response strategies and identify areas for improvement.
"I think it's important as an agency that we didn't shy away from those major incidents," Wesseler said. "We actually took them as an opportunity to see what we were doing and see how we could improve."
Police analyzed where crimes were occurring, who was responsible, and when incidents were happening in order to deploy resources more effectively, he said.
Those resources include patrol officers, detectives, support staff, and technology such as Flock Safety cameras, which police say help investigators track vehicles connected to criminal activity.
"They certainly come with their controversy, but they are very successful for us," Wesseler said. "It's just one of the tools we use that gives detectives and officers information to make independent decisions based on that information."
With about three months remaining in the year, Wesseler said the department is encouraged by the progress but remains focused on reducing gun violence further.
"We're not going to take our foot off the gas just yet," he said. "While we do see success and we're very happy with that, we are of the strategy and mindset that one shooting is too many."
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