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  "path": "/crime/2026/06/04/chicago-had-fewest-may-homicides-since-2007",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-04T22:43:02.311Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>Chicago recorded the fewest homicides last month of any May since 2007, but overall killings this year have so far ticked up compared to last year.</p><p>There were 36 homicides last month in the city, one fewer than May 2025, according to Chicago police.</p><p>The past two Mays follow a pandemic-era peak in homicides, when 86 people were killed in May 2020, and when the city averaged 64 killings in each May from 2021 through 2024, according to city data.</p><p>Entering June, Chicago had 167 homicides in 2026, a 6% increase compared to this time last year, police said. There also has been a 4% increase in shooting incidents so far this year compared to last year.</p><p>Still, shootings and homicides have been trending downward over the past four years. Overall shootings have decreased by about 45% since 2022, and homicides are down about 35% since then, according to city data.</p><p>Chicago’s violence has historically increased during warmer months, and holiday weekends tend to bear the brunt of it.</p><p>But this year’s <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/05/24/17-people-shot-overnight-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Memorial Day weekend</u></a> was the least deadly of such weekends in at least 16 years. And last year, from June through August, Chicago <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/09/03/chicago-sees-its-fewest-summer-murders-since-1965\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>recorded the fewest murders</u></a> in that timeframe since 1965.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center><div class=\"Enhancement-item\"> <div class=\"ExternalContent-wrapper\" data-embed> <iframe src=\"https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/29257070/embed\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"700\" style=\"width:100%;\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\"></iframe> </div> </div></div><p>Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has said strengthened community-violence intervention, coordinated responses to crime and increased investment in the city’s youth helps to drive down crime.</p><p>“We are encouraged to see summer homicides trending down, but let’s be clear: we refuse to accept any level of violence as normal,” Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Emmanuel Andre said in a statement. “The urgency remains absolute, and this isn't a moment to celebrate — it’s a mandate to work harder… We remain locked arm-in-arm with our community partners to sustain this momentum and build a safer city together.”</p><p>Other crimes have declined citywide over the past year as well, including a 25% drop in robberies, a 16% reduction in carjackings and a 27% decrease in transit crimes, according to police. Violent crime on Chicago Transit Authority trains and buses have also dropped by 20% over the past year.</p>",
  "title": "Chicago had fewest May homicides since 2007",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-04T22:45:35.004Z"
}