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With 25 Homicides So Far, 2019 Could Outpace Previous Years

Logan Cyrus Photography
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Headquarters

Only two months into 2019, the number of homicides to date is outpacing that of the last two years. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police data, there have been 25 homicides in Charlotte so far this year. There were six at this point last year, and 15 at this point in 2017.

CMPD says of the 25 homicides this year, 23 are gun related. Sixteen of the homicides have been cleared, meaning an arrest has been made or the case was closed by “exceptional means” (like the death of the offender).

In its news release, CMPD outlined the circumstances surrounding the 2019 homicides:

CMPD’s update follows a violent few days in Charlotte. Wednesday night, a triple shooting west of uptown left two teenagers dead and a third person injured. On Sunday, a man shot a 15-year-old girl and a 51-year-old man in a south Charlotte home.

Police Chief Kerr Putney said in a statement to the community Thursday afternoon that the recent homicides require "all of us to look after each other and the greater community.”

But, he said, most of the incidents  “were personal relationships that turned violent,” involving victims and suspects who knew each other.

“Despite monumental efforts, it is challenging for law enforcement alone to predict and prevent this type of activity,” Putney said. “Public safety requires a shared effort between police, community members and our partners.”

Putney said the department has implemented new policies to help prevent and fight violent crime, among them increasing the number of officers assigned to monitor high-violence areas and assigning follow-up tasks for responding officers in an “effort to prevent retaliatory violence.”

Last year saw a nearly 35 percent decrease in homicides — the first drop since 2014. There were 57 homicides in 2018, down from 87 in 2017.