Philadelphia surpasses 400 homicides for 4th straight year
5th and Diamond shooting.
PHILADELPHIA - More than 400 people have been murdered in Philadelphia for the fourth straight year, marking a grim milestone in the city with just days remain in 2023.
Data from the Philadelphia Police Department on Thursday shows that 402 people have been killed in the city so far this year.
Less than half of the homicides have been solved, according to the department, and arrests related to murders this year are also below 50 percent.
Despite the ghastly figures, data from police shows that murders in Philadelphia have dropped by 20 percent from this point last year.
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"We are currently experiencing what criminologists expect to be the biggest decrease in homicides since there was a recording of data about homicides," District Attorney Larry Krasner said during a recent press conference.
He claimed the data shows a 12% decrease in homicides among the 90 largest cities in the United States, which he said places Philly's decline above the national average.
"Even in this banner year of improvement, what we are seeing is that Philadelphia is getting better faster than the average of these other cities," Krasner said.
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The decline, while encouraging, follows back-to-back years when over 500 people were killed in Philadelphia, including a historically bloody 2021. The city also narrowly missed 500 murders in the pandemic-ridden 2020, ending the year with 499 killings.
Incoming Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker on Thursday shared her administration's ‘Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia’ that they say will provide more than 100 critical recommendations to improve the quality of life and reduce violence.
The plan covers a wide array of topics to fight crime including education, poverty, the threat of illegal guns, the use of technology, and mental health resources. Incoming Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the Blueprint is aspirational and will serve as a template moving forward.