January was one of the least violent months in the city in years.
It's still early in 2024, but Baltimore is off to its least violent start to the year in nearly a decade.
Mass shootings so far this year are down from last year, when homicides fell below 300 for the first time since Freddie Gray's death in April 2015. Youth gun violence, which spiked in 2022 and 2023, is also showing signs of improvement.
There were 16 murders in January. This is the lowest number of year-to-date homicides in Baltimore since 2016, according to a Baltimore Banner analysis of the Baltimore Police Department's Part 1 crime database. It is also the 7th lowest number of murders in any month since Gray's death.
It's not just murders that are decreasing. Overall, the number of shootings has decreased significantly. When looking at both shootings and homicides, Baltimore is among the least violent cities. It has been going on since 2015, the first year we had reliable shooting data. Last month also saw the lowest number of assaults in the city since February 2022.
The average number of mass shootings in the past three months was lower than in any three months since Gray's death. In January, 42 people were shot in Baltimore. This was the second-lowest shooting in a month and the first since Gray's death. Only until February 2018 – The shortest month.
Even as overall gun violence declines, the proportion of gun victims among young people is also decreasing.
Baltimore has seen a spike in gun violence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and young people have been more affected by gun violence than ever before. In 2022 and 2023, high school teenagers were shot and killed at an alarming rate. This situation remained true even though overall shooting and fatality rates declined last year. Mass shootings will decline slightly at the end of 2023, and although there were more shootings among teenagers in January than in December, the trend is positive compared to the previous year.
Last January, 17 high school students were shot, compared to eight this year.
One teenager has died so far in 2024, compared to six in January 2023. Furthermore, despite the overall decline in mass shootings, the proportion of school-age victims among shooting victims has also decreased from about 27% at the beginning of 2023 to about 18%. this year.
This number is even higher than in recent years up to 2023 and still early in the year. Shootings and murders tend to be lower in the winter.
Overall, shootings and homicides were each down 33% in January compared to this time last year. Teen shootings are down 53%, and teen homicides are down 53%. decreased by 83%.
Last month's low violent crime numbers are a continuation of the downward trend that began last year. Baltimore City had 255 homicides this year, falling below 300 for the first time since 2014. And the number of murders decreased steadily over the years.
Many city leaders took credit for last year's drop in violence. Mayor Brandon Scott credited the decline to the implementation of a group violence reduction strategy that combines targeted police enforcement and expanded social services to those who may participate in violence.
Maryland's U.S. Attorney Erek Baron said his office's increased focus on gun ownership is keeping would-be shooters off the streets.
Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates, who took office last January, said word of the prosecutor's success in court is spreading on the streets.
In a statement to Banner Friday, the Baltimore Police Department pointed to GVRS and other parts of the city's Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan as initiatives that may be contributing to the downward trend in violence.
“This was a holistic, comprehensive approach that included efforts such as mass violence reduction strategies, community violence interventions, and the city's award-winning behavioral health 911 diversion program,” said Baltimore Police Department spokeswoman Amanda.・Mr. Kurotoki stated. Email.
“We are encouraged, but we must move forward with a data-driven approach while continuing to build relationships with our communities.”
Ramsey Archibald is an award-winning data journalist from Birmingham, Alabama.
