Baltimore saw record-low homicides in April

The five killings Baltimore recorded in April were the city’s lowest monthly total since it began tracking homicides in 1970, according to police data.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, shared the news by posting a graphic showing a year-over-year drop in slayings, down 32%, and nonfatal shootings, down 27%.

“This is progress, but we aren’t stopping to celebrate,” Mr. Scott posted Thursday on X. “Five homicides in April is still five too many — and we will continue to use all tools at our disposal to prevent violence and save lives.”

The mayor credited the plummeting violence to the city’s violence prevention plan and violence “intervention ecosystem,” as well as the state’s Office of Attorney General, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates and the city police force.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said while there is still work to do, “these numbers show that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Last month, Baltimore fell out of U.S. News & World Report’s notorious annual list of “Most Dangerous Places” in the country during 2024-2025.

Charm City had been a mainstay on the yearly ranking that typically consists of 25 cities.

The list is based on FBI data for the city’s murder and property crime rate per 100,000 people.

Outside of the drops in killings and shootings, police data shows significant drops in nearly every major crime — rapes are down 33%, robbery and carjackings down 17% and assaults down 13%.

Violent crime in the city is down 18% so far this year, police records show.

Baltimore has been trending in this direction since 2023, when the city recorded 262 homicides, and thereby ended an eight-year streak of 300 or more killings per year.