Milwaukee homicides down for second straight year

Homicides in Milwaukee fell in 2024, the second year in a row of double-digit declines in a trend community leaders are hopeful will continue.

There were 132 homicides in 2024, down from 172 in 2023, according to crime data from the Milwaukee Police Department. That’s a decline of 23 percent.

Nonfatal shootings also dropped by 24 percent from 2023 to 2024. The downward trend comes after the city broke its homicide record three years in a row from 2020 to 2022. 

“I absolutely am hopeful that we will see this direction continue into 2025,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said during a Tuesday press briefing. “I’ve been very, very pleased with the direction we’re going.”

Tracey Dent, a community activist with Peace for Change Alliance, also said the numbers were encouraging.

“We’re happy that it’s declining, but at the same time, it’s still way too many homicides,” Dent said. “We’re moving in the right direction, though.”

Homicides in the city are down nearly 40 percent compared to two years ago, according to the crime data.

“But even though that has happened, that’s not a reason for us to rest, and we’re not resting,” Johnson said. “But overall, I am quite satisfied with the direction that we’re headed.”

Nationally, homicides were down 17.9 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, according to data from more than 200 cities. 

215 homicides in 2022

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, there were 97 homicides in Milwaukee in 2019. In 2022, the Milwaukee Police Department investigated 215 homicides — a 121 percent increase over three years. 

Law enforcement experts have pointed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing number of guns on the street as possible reasons for the spike.

But in the two years since, homicides have been trending down in Milwaukee and nationwide.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman didn’t name one reason for the decline, but he said he believes community partnerships focused on preventing violence are helping. 

“I can see that we do have a great energy and a great direction that we’re going in,” Norman said.

Johnson says ‘accountability and prevention’ important 

Johnson said improving safety in Milwaukee relies on “accountability and prevention.” He said that work includes city agencies and community organizations focused on violence prevention. 

“We all have to take part in prevention to make sure our city is a safe place,” Johnson said Tuesday. 

Community activist Vaun Mayes works with the Promise Keepers, a violence prevention group with the city’s Office of Community Wellness and Safety. He and others talk to shooting victims and perpetrators of gun violence to try to prevent retaliation. 

Mayes said he’s proud that homicides are dropping, but he said more work still needs to be done. 

“We still had a high number, but I feel like we are moving in the right direction,” Mayes said.

Norman said there’s also been a consistent trend of young people committing serious crimes in the city. That’s where Norman and Johnson said local programs for youth are important.

“We have to teach our kids that reckless behavior with firearms isn’t cool, and that this isn’t a lifestyle that anyone should choose,” Norman said.

There have been newer initiatives and efforts from the city to address violent crime in recent years.

In October, Milwaukee County leaders announced a three-year partnership with a national nonprofit aimed at preventing violent crime. Advance Peace focuses on engaging young people involved in gun violence through a fellowship program that lasts 18 to 24 months. 

Camp RISE is aimed at Milwaukee kids ages 10 to 13 in the city. The summer program “introduces them to opportunities, life skills, and civic engagement,” according to the city.

The Safer City MKE initiative, which began in 2023, is a public-private partnership that provides incentives for youth who participate in events and programs across the city when they’re not in school.

“Those are definitely all different pieces that need to be be built upon to continue that success,” Mayes said.