DC Homicides Shift in August

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Even though homicides across the District are down, a different ward tops the list as Washington, DC’s leading area of homicides. Ward 7 accounts for approximately 50 percent of all homicides in August.

According to D.C. Witness data, there were a total of eight homicides in DC in August.  Four of the eight homicides occurred in Ward 7, two homicides occurred in Ward 5 and both Ward 8 and Ward 1 accounted for one homicide each. All of the victims were adult males.

Ward 8, until August, contained the most homicides in the city accounting for nearly 50 percent of the 19 homicides that occurred in July. Ward 8 has been the city’s leading area of homicides since May.

Prior to the start of summer, the mayoral administration along with the Metropolitan Police Department added more public safety resources, including officers to patrol in Wards 7 and 8. City officials did this in response to a series of homicides in May, including a deadly Memorial Day weekend that left Venius Badgett, 35; Jaquon Helm, 40; Alexander Mosby, 39; and Anthony Clark, 24, dead.

Data shows that citywide homicides are down by nearly 58 percent from July.

August has been the least deadly month in DC since the summer began in June.

Even though the number of homicides are down in August, homicides in DC are still high. There have been 105 homicides in the District, as of Sept. 4, nearly a 24 percent increase from this time a year ago.

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