NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Going into the new year, Nashville had reason to celebrate.
According to the Mayor's office, crime rates have plummeted, namely violent crime, property crime, homicides and robberies.
Violent crime hit its lowest rate in over a decade, and homicides dropped almost 30%.
"Of course, on safety, crime is down in all categories across the board, multi-year lows in homicides and robberies," said Nashville mayor Freddie O'Connell on New Year's Eve. "Those are all things we want to build on as we go into 2026."
While it's welcome news to those who live and visit the city, we know even one death is devastating in our communities.
In November, we told you about a Nashville mother who lost her second son to gun violence. Jackalius Groves was shot and killed after leaving a nightclub.
"It's devastating. My heart is broken," said his mother, Karen Groves, in November. "He was very handsome, very funny, he was a prankster. He loved his family."
Then, in December, we told you about Gavin Thompson, a devoted father killed in a shooting. Two masked men approached him at his apartment complex and later assaulted and shot him.
"Good dude, loved his kids, great dad, great husband, great son. Just an all-around great guy," Gavin's friend Demetris Robinson remembered.
"I was in shock," he also said. "Because he was the kind of guy you would never think that would happen."
Thankfully, as the city works to lower crime even more, Nashville is moving in the right direction.
The mayor's office applauded the police department, adding the police investigative unit in charge of non-lethal shootings had a 67% arrest rate last year, leading to lower crime in every precinct in the county.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
In this job, we have the opportunity to meet truly remarkable people. The Sullivan family has faced incredibly tough times, but time and time again, turn their grieving into giving. What an honor to tell their story.
- Carrie Sharp
