Chief reports Visitation Valley shooting and year-to-date crime declines

At the April 7 meeting Chief George Gascon reported a targeted drive‑by shooting earlier that morning at 83 Arleta Avenue in Visitation Valley that left four victims — two men and two women — in stable condition. The shooting was under investigation by a dedicated task force and there were no suspects identified at the time of the report.

Gascon also presented year‑to‑date crime statistics, saying the department was 16% down in Part I crimes compared with the same period last year: "11,246 crimes last year today versus 9,430 this year," he said. He reported property crime down 21% and said violent crime had increased by roughly 7% year‑over‑year (rising to 2,103 incidents from 1,973). He cautioned that violent‑crime percentage changes reflected smaller absolute numbers and highlighted weekly reductions — for example, the week under review showed an 11% decline in violent crime compared with the prior week.

When asked whether the department had completed analysis of rate changes, Gascon said he did not have the rate breakdown at the meeting but offered to bring more detailed trend analysis to the commission at the next meeting.

The chief emphasized ongoing operations: while older cases that rely on questioned lab results are under review, "we will not stop arresting people that are committing crimes," he told the commission, and described recent enforcement operations that produced arrests and weapons seizures.