RICHMOND BEGINS '92 WITH KILLING

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 2, 1992                   TAG: 9201020080
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short
RICHMOND BEGINS '92 WITH KILLING
Richmond recorded its first slaying of 1992 hours after closing 1991 with a record 116 killings.
Two men died in separate shootings Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, police said. Both victims were black, as were 100 other 1991 homicide victims.
"I intend to speak out on this issue more forcefully this year," said City Manager Robert Bobb.
Elijah Bynum, 47, was found slumped in his car parked in a convenience store lot - the city's final homicide victim of 1991. Last year's record killings claimed 114 people. The number of killings has risen in each of the past four years.
Police identified the second victim as Dennis Rock, 35, who was shot in the chest about 12:05 a.m.
Police had no motive or suspect in either shooting, Detective Steve Dalton said.
Nearly half of the 1991 killings remained under investigation at year end.
Bobb said black Richmonders must play a greater role in the city's effort to halt the killings in their neighborhoods.
"The key to slowing the killings is for the African-American community itself to become so outraged as to refocus its attention in terms of promoting values that reflect the importance of human life," he said.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB