A milestone month: Baltimore hits record low for homicides

In more than five decades of recorded history, Baltimore Police have never seen a month like April.

The four homicides recorded last month represent the fewest killings in a month in the city since 1970, when police began tracking monthly crime statistics.

That’s one fewer life lost to violence than the previous record set in April 2025, according to police, and a dramatic drop from the city’s most violent periods, when there were as many as 45 homicides in a month.

Police say the milestone comes amid a broad decline in violence and crime overall. As of the end of April, there were about 10% fewer killings and nonfatal shootings than at the same time last year, which ended up having the fewest homicides since the 1960s.

Fair or not, homicides have always been the most publicized barometer of public safety in Baltimore, once derided as “Bodymore, Murderland” for its high homicide rate. Police commissioners have been fired and mayors voted out of office because they couldn’t stem the killing.

While officials maintain that any killing is too much, they are celebrating what they describe as substantial progress in reducing violence in Baltimore.

In a statement, Mayor Brandon Scott thanked police, his neighborhood safety office, the city prosecutor’s office and residents “for their collective work to make our neighborhoods safer than they’ve been in decades.”

“Now is the time to go even further: to expand the strategies that are working, to strengthen the partnerships that have gotten us to this point, and to maintain our focus on saving lives,” the Democrat said.

Police Commissioner Richard Worley credited his department’s “dedication and hard work” in collaboration with law enforcement partners. Together, he said in a statement, they oversaw five separate months of single-digit homicide totals. This collaboration and teamwork, he said, “are making meaningful impacts and saving lives.”

For Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, four homicides in April represents “meaningful progress in our city’s ongoing efforts to reduce violence.” He echoed other officials’ emphasis on collaboration between public safety agencies.

“However, the heartbreaking reality is that four lives lost equate to four families forever changed by the sudden and tragic death of their loved ones,” Bates said. “Behind each number is a person, a family, and a community grappling with the weight of that trauma and loss.”

Stefanie Mavronis, director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, pointed to the city’s investment in “evidence-based community violence intervention and focused deterrent models,” as well as collaboration with law enforcement.

“Baltimore is becoming a national example about how to address public safety as a true public health issue,” Mavronis said.

Despite progress, city officials concede violence overall remains high. During the first two months of this year, Baltimore had about 207 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, more than triple the national rate, according to an analysis of the most recent data available from the Real-Time Crime Index.

Residents’ perceptions of their safety don’t always align with statistical reductions. But a recent survey by University of Maryland, Baltimore County, pollster Mileah Kromer indicates there may be a shifting narrative.

Kromer asked Baltimore residents whether there was more, less or about the same amount of crime in their neighborhood as the year prior. Of the 666 people surveyed, 27% said there was less crime, a substantial increase from the 14% who felt that way two years ago.

In recent years, however, nearly half of respondents said they believed the crime level was “about the same” as the previous year, despite enormous progress in bringing down the violent crime rate.

Carey Olivis is a resident of Sandtown-Winchester, a West Baltimore neighborhood that has historically had higher levels of violence. Olivis, president of the Sandtown-Winchester Community Collective, echoed officials in saying even one killing is too many.

“But four lives in a month, I think, is a great step in the right direction that should be applauded,” Olivis told The Banner. “I support all of the efforts that are happening to reduce the amount of shootings and killings in our city.

“And whatever is being done should be looked at in a positive light because it’s a change in the right direction.”