Gun violence in Louisville down since pandemic, but remains historically high

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Gun violence in Louisville has decreased since the COVID-19 pandemic, but it remains significantly higher than it was a decade ago.

On Monday, law enforcement, grassroots organizations and victims met at Citywide Summit: Mobilizing Louisville's Gun Violence Reduction Ecosystem.

The Summit was organized by the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN). The goal was to share findings and solutions to reduce shootings and homicides in the city.

For Rose Smith, the fight against gun violence is deeply personal. Her son, Cory Crowe—known as “ACE”—was shot and killed 10 years ago in Louisville’s Park Hill neighborhood. He was 24 years old and left behind a 5-year-old son.

According to OSHN, gun violence in Louisville has dropped 38% since 2021, reaching its lowest levels since a pandemic-era spike. It has also decreased 9% from last year.

“We are doing a better job at getting a lot more people at the table, and we are making the table even bigger,” said Joe Newland, OSHN's Citywide Violence Reduction Framework Manager.

Despite these gains, gun violence remains significantly higher than it was a decade ago. OSHN data shows that Louisville has seen nearly 400 shootings so far this year, compared to 212 in 2014.

Victims are also trending younger. Last year, about 12% of shooting victims were under the age of 18. This year, that number has risen to over 15%.

Smith now runs the ACE Project, named after her son, which supports survivors and shares victims’ stories to help steer others away from violence. She emphasized the importance of collaboration among organizations.

“I refuse to let my pain be wasted. I cannot let it be wasted,” Smith said.

The summit brought together grassroots organizations and city officials to encourage cooperation and develop unified strategies. Many attendees noted that smaller organizations often work in isolation but can achieve more by combining efforts.

While progress has been made, Louisville Metro Police Department continues to struggle with solving cases. Of the 132 homicides OSHN has reported this year, LMPD said its made arrests in 46 cases. For non-fatal shootings, only 77 of 299 cases have resulted in arrests according to LMPD.

OSHN and community leaders are hopeful that initiatives like the summit will help turn the tide against gun violence in Louisville.

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