Dec. surge dims hopes for dip in Detroit murders
With just four more days left in 2015, Detroit was close to mirroring last year’s homicide total, the lowest since 1967, although the good news was dimmed by the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl late Sunday, along with the Christmas Eve slaying of a noted musician.
As of Sunday, there were at least 292 homicides in Detroit, the same as during the same period in 2014, when the city saw the fewest homicides in 47 years.
A flurry of killings in late December drove the number up, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said.
“We were down by as many as 12 recently, but we hit a bad patch,” Craig said. “But we ended last year with the lowest number of homicides in 47 years, and it looks like we’ll end up about the same.”
Nonfatal shootings also were down by 12 as of Thursday, from 1,030 last year. Robberies dropped18 percent, with 695 fewer than in 2014. This year’s total: 3,063, vs. 3,758 during the same period last year.
“That’s good news, and a testament to our hard-working officers,” Craig said. “We’re trending in the right direction.”
Among the high-profile killings in 2015:
■Mitchelle Blair pleaded guilty to killing her two children, Stoni Blair, 13, and Stephen Berry, 9, and putting their bodies in a freezer, which she kept in her apartment.
■A 20-year-old man was killed at a block party, one of 10 people shot during the gathering. Despite there being hundreds of people at the scene, no one came forward to provide police with information, and the killing remains unsolved.
■Paul Monchick, 91, was fatally beaten inside his west side home in November, and his house was set on fire. Police arrested a neighbor, 17-year-old George Steward, who was charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial.
■Detroit firefighter David Madrigal was found inside his northwest side home on Dec. 21, dead of blunt force trauma to the head. No arrests have been made.
ghunter@detroitnews.com
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Criminal homicides in Detroit
2014: 300
2013: 333
2012: 386
2011: 344
2010: 308
2009: 364
2008: 342
2007: 392
2006: 354
2005: 374
2004: 387
2003: 369
2002: 402
2001: 395
2000: 396
1999: 415
1998: 430
1997: 469
1996: 428
1995: 475
1994: 541
1993: 579
1992: 595
1991: 615
1990: 582
1989: 624
1988: 630
1987: 686
1986: 648
1985: 635
1984: 514
1983: 581
1982: 515
1981: 502
1980: 549
1979: 451
1978: 498
1977: 478
1976: 662
1975: 607
1974: 714
1973: 672
1972: 601
1971: 577
1970: 495
1969: 439
1968: 389
1967: 281
1966: 214
1965: 188
1964: 125
1963: 125
1962: 131
1961: 136
1960: 150
1959: 169
1958: 141
1957: 119
1956: 105
1955: 140
1954: 108
1953: 130
1952: 109
1951: 129
1950: 113
1949: 103
1948: 105
1947: 112
1946: 109
1945: 101
1944: 112
1943: 97
1942: 89
1941: 78
1940: 77
1939: 74
1938: 48
1937: 63
1936: 66
1935: 60
1934: 60
1933: 75
1932: 96
1931: 106
1930: 114
Source: Detroit police, Detroit News research