Police Supt. Garry McCarthy discusses crime stats / Photo by Brian Jackson
BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor
Chicago Police announced Monday that August murders declined for the third consecutive year.
Police reported 46 murders in August, an 8 percent decrease from the 50 killings in 2013 and a 16 percent decrease from the 55 slayings in 2012. There were only 35 murders in August 2011.
Despite the decrease in killings, the number of shooting incidents and shooting victims remained about the same.
Police reported 237 shooting incidents in August 2014, 234 last year, 282 in August 2012 and 215 in August 2011.
The 289 shooting victims in August 2014 was a slight decrease from the 295 last year, police said. There were 351 shooting victims in August 2012 and 261 in August 2011.
Overall, police reported 257 murders through the first eight months of the year — a 7.5 percent decrease from the 278 murders during the same time period last year. The decrease continues the trend of declining murders as 358 people were killed in the first eight months of 2012 and there were 278 slayings through August 2011, police said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office, which counts murders different, has ruled at least 279 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including 11 people killed by police officers. Police have ruled some of those homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.
Despite murders being down in the first eight months of 2014, there was a five percent increase in shooting incidents and nearly a six percent increase in shooting victims compared to the same time last year, according to police data. Both shootings incidents and shooting victims are down from 2012 and 2011.
During a Monday press conference, Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy noted overall crime is down 14 percent through the same time last year and praised the department’s hard work and a “strengthened partnership” with the community.
— Contributing: Stefano Esposito