The Chicago Police Department released end-of-year crime statistics on New Year's Day, revealing shootings and murders were down over the past year despite increases in other crimes across the city.
Less than an hour after the city rang in 2024, Chicago saw its first homicide of the year. At around 12:45 a.m., three people were shot when gunfire tore through a window and struck three people inside a home in the 7000 block of South Wabash in Greater Grand Crossing. A 53-year-old man was shot multiple times and died on the scene, police said.
Citing initial data, Chicago police asserted certain types of violence crime decreased throughout the past year. Shooting incidents dropped across the city in 2023, with the number of gunshot victims down nearly 18%, according to CPD.
Murders also dropped citywide. A total of 671 people were shot and killed in Chicago throughout 2023 compared to 709 people a year prior, marking a more than 12% decrease.
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"In a city as big as Chicago, 12% is a lot of people," said Roseanna Ander with the University of Chicago Crime Lab. "That means families that are not grieving the loss of a loved one and the huge ripple effect that those homicides have. So I think it is a place to really celebrate, but not lose sight of the work still ahead.”
The University of Chicago Crime Lab released its annual crime report last week, which found Black Chicagoans are 20 times more likely to become victims of crime than white Chicagoans.
"That gap has gotten smaller but it is still shockingly large," Ander said. "It shows progress is possible, but we still have a ways to go.”
Local
According to Chicago police, robberies were up 23% over the past year, but robbery arrests increased as well - by more than 20%. Vehicle-related arrests, including for car thefts, rose almost 19% throughout 2023, but carjackings dropped 20%, data revealed.
Chicago police emphasized the statistics provided were preliminary and final numbers were expected to be released on Tuesday.
