Map: See where Lexington homicides have happened in 2023, which cases are still open
Lexington has reported its third and fourth homicides of 2023.
On April 20, officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Chestnut Street for reported gunshots, according to Lt. Joe Anderson with the Lexington Police Department. Responding officers found one man and one woman shot when they arrived.
The man died as a result of the shooting, according to Anderson. Four days after the shooting, police said the woman also died.
Corry Jackson, 37, was arrested and charged in connection to the shooting, police said.
The first killing happened in early February. According to Lexington police, officers responded to a report of shots fired on the 500 block of Toner Street the evening of Feb. 6. When they arrived they found a man dead from a gunshot wound inside a vehicle.
Lexington had 44 homicides in 2022, which set a new annual record. The previous record was 37, set in 2021.
Twenty-five people were charged with murder in connection to some of the 2022 homicides, closing 26 total cases. Some of the suspects arrested were juveniles.
Thirty-six of the victims were killed in shootings.
In 2022, Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers described the rise in gun violence as “a tragedy for this community.”
As more homicides are reported, the Herald-Leader will update this file to reflect the latest information known. Here is what we know about the deadly incidents which have occurred in Lexington in 2023:
April 20: Timonte Harris, 43; Lakeisha Hill, 32
Officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Chestnut Street for reported gunshots, according to Lt. Joe Anderson with the Lexington Police Department. Responding officers found one man and one woman shot when they arrived.
Harris died as a result of the shooting, according to Anderson. Hill suffered serious injuries and died at the hospital two days later, according to the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.
Corry Jackson, 37, was arrested and charged in connection to the shooting, police said.
Feb. 6: Marquis Tompkins Jr., 24
Just before 7 p.m., police were dispatched to the 500 block of Toner Street for a report of shots fired, according to police. When officers arrived, they found Tompkins suffering from a gunshot wound inside a vehicle. He was declared dead on the scene.
No suspect information was provided. Police are asking for the public’s help in providing information about the shooting.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling 859-253-2020, online at www.bluegrasscrimestoppers.com, or through the P3 Tips app available at www.p3tips.com.
March 17: Justin Cooke, 43
At around 7:30 p.m., Lexington police received multiple calls about a shooting at the Marathon gas station at 300 N. Martin Luther King Blvd., at the intersection with Third Street, Lt. Paul Boyles said. When officers arrived, Boyles said they found Cooke in the parking lot with life-threatening injuries.
Cooke was taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where police later said he was pronounced dead.
A woman also suffered injuries in the shooting, police said Her injuries were non-life-threatening.
Police did not have any information about a suspect to release.
Herald-Leader reporter Karla Ward contributed to this report.
