Chicago Homicides Dropped Nearly 100 in 2018, But There's Still Work That Needs To Be Done

After years of reeling from violent crime and homicide epidemic in Chicago, murders in the Windy City fell by about 100 in 2018, but the figure still remains higher than the number of homicides in Los Angeles and New York combined.

According to preliminary police numbers, in Chicago, the third largest city in the U.S., there were 561 homicides between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018. That’s a decline of about 100 murders compared to 2017.

Meanwhile, as of about mid-December, New York reported 278 murders and Los Angeles had 243.

“Are we where we want to be? Of course not,” Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson recently told the Chicago Tribune, but he added: “I do think we are taking steps in the right direction.”

While the number of homicides declined in 2018, the crime-spree continues to shake communities across the city.

In October, 73-year-old Douglass Watts and 24-year-old Eliyahu Moscowitz were gunned down “execution-style” by a sole gunman, who shot the two victims in their heads. Despite the $150,000 reward to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the man, the killer remains at large to this day.

The same month, on Oct. 8, a two-year-old toddler was shot in the neck. In a separate incident that day, 18-year-old James Garrett was shot in the back while attending a vigil. Garrett was reportedly a high-achieving high school student who hoped to attend a historically black college and become a teacher, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Last summer, a 12-year-old Michigan girl spending her summer in Chicago was fatally shot, just hours after attending her cousin’s eighth-grade graduation. She'nyah O'Flynn was the unintended victim of gunfire from a nearby party.

Police claim the decline to the murders could be attributed to the additional 1,000 officers on the streets who were recruited in recent years. The force also credits the creation of high-tech nerve centers where officers use predictive analytics and other technology to improve policing in areas where violence is likely to erupt.

Most murders, the police says, are tied to street gangs that fight for territory in the city or retaliate against rival gang members. The number of shootings fell 14 percent compared to the last year, with 2,391 shootings in the city in 2018.

As part of an effort to combat the gun crime, the authorities seized 9,500 illegal guns last year, the most in five years.

In general, Chicago’s crime rate declined 10 percent in 2018 compared to the year before, while crime such as robberies and carjackings also declined – by about 19 percent.

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Any progress is good progress. I really hope our people can do better. Put the guns down and pick up some books. All this violence is causing innocent people to be caught in the cross fire and it's not fair. Innocent children are dying for no reason at all. Chicago is a beautiful city and I hope this is a step in the right direction because people are tired.