Milwaukee homicides down for 2nd straight year, MPD data shows
MILWAUKEE - Preliminary Milwaukee Police Department data for 2024 shows homicides dropped for a second year in a row but are still up from pre-pandemic numbers.
According to MPD, the number of homicides dropped by nearly a quarter, from 172 in 2023 to 131 in 2024. The city saw a record number of homicides in 2022.
- 2019: 97
- 2020: 190
- 2021: 193
- 2022: 215
- 2023: 172
- 2024: 131
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MPD crime data for 2024 also showed non-fatal shootings were down about a quarter, while carjackings were up 11%. Totals for 2024 are as of Sunday, Dec. 29 and can change as cases are investigated.
Milwaukee Police Department homicide data
Homicide review
The Medical College of Wisconsin's Constance Kostelac leads the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission.
"Any life that is lost is too many lives lost, but the trend that we are seeing is an encouraging trend compared with what we’ve seen for a number of years," she said.
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The commission's review of 116 homicides, up to November 2024, found:
- 81% of the victims were black, 17% were white; one victim was American Indian, one was Asian
- 85% of victims were male, about 15% were female
- 17 victims were 17 years old or younger; 40 victims were 18-29 years old; 21 victims were 30-39 years old; 26 victims were 40 to 49 years old; 12 victims were 50 years old or older
- 81% of suspects were black, about 17% were white; one suspect was American Indian, one was Asian
- 92% of suspects were male, roughly 8% were female
- About 44% of victims knew the killer, about 31% were strangers
2024 Milwaukee homicide scene
The Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission found the most common cause of a homicide was shootings; guns were used in 90% of homicides.
"We are seeing more concentrated and collaborative efforts happening across different both government and community-based organizations," said Kostelac. "We always want to be careful not to stigmatize areas, but there’s been concentrated efforts in some of the neighborhoods and parts of the city that have been historically disproportionately impacted, and we are seeing a bigger drop in those areas than what we are seeing citywide."
What's next
After lost lives and snuffed out dreams, a new year gives the city a chance for a new start.
"Continuing to focus on youth gun violence and ways to reach young people in a way to resonate with them to talk about peace," Kostelac said. "Continuing to focus on how do we reach young men that may be at risk of involvement in violence or may have had prior experience with violence, which is the focus of many of the community-based programs, that’s a very important connection to make."