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May Sees Chicago Shootings Fall — But 2017 Still More Violent Than Usual

By Kelly Bauer | June 2, 2017 3:02pm | Updated on June 5, 2017 10:55am
 This May saw a drop in shootings — and the number of victims they claim — in Chicago.
This May saw a drop in shootings — and the number of victims they claim — in Chicago.
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DOWNTOWN — This May saw a drop in shootings — and the number of victims they claim — in Chicago.

The number of shootings throughout the month dropped about 19 percent from what Chicago saw last year, and murders were down 15 percent, according to DNAinfo data.

But violence in the city has remained higher throughout 2017 than it was in years past, and there have been just as many people killed in shootings this year as in 2016.

There were 252 shootings in May 2017, a fall from the 311 shootings the city saw the same time last year. There were fewer victims, too: This May saw 314 people shot, 52 fatally; last year, there were 388 victims and 60 of them died.

Murders overall are down from 66 in May 2016 to 56 last month.

Among those killed were Tatyanna Lewis, a Police officer's daughter who prosecutors say was rammed into a tree with a car by a romantic rival; Jonathan Green, a beloved father of seven shot dead while picking up the family breakfast; and Jervon Morris, a visually challenged 18-year-old who was fatally shot while volunteering at the park where he spent most of his time working with kids.

Here's a look at May violence:

While violence in Chicago has fallen from 2016 — the worst year in decades for the city — it's still higher than in years past. 

There were 1,081 shootings with 1,119 victims between Jan. 1 and May 31. At least 228 people were killed in those shootings — the same number of people killed within the first six months in 2016, and more than were killed in prior years.

Here's a look at the violence year-to-date:

2017 Violence So Far:

• This January Had As Many Shootings, Murders As Violent January 2016

• Shootings, Murders Rise In Chicago In February

• Shootings, Murders See Major Drop For 1st Time In More Than A Year

• Shootings Down To Date, But April Saw Uptick In Murders