In just the first week of June, more than 100 people have been killed in the District this year. That’s the fastest D.C. has hit the mark in two decades.
The murder of 29-year-old Joshua White on Tuesday at a gas station on South Capitol Street SE was the 100th homicide in the nation’s capital. But two more killings since then put the total number at 102, as of 9 p.m. Wednesday.
“It is indeed a grim milestone. Any day it would be grim to talk about 100 people in a city our size being lost to gun violence,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
The last time D.C. recorded 100 homicides this early in the year was back in 2003. The district is now on track to hit at least 200 for the third year in a row.
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Interim police Chief Ashan Benedict pointed to reductions in other crimes as bright spots, and promised residents will see more officers in neighborhoods with high crime in coming weeks.
“You’re going to see a proactive police department this summer. We are making gains; we are making strides. The homicides, unfortunately, are something we take so seriously, but we got to put that into context,” he said.
Bowser has been pushing for more accountability for people convicted of violent crimes as republicans in Congress have put crime in D.C. on the national political agenda, blocking the recently revised criminal code from taking effect and labeling the D.C. Council as soft on crime.
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As the mayor continues the search for a new police chief, she has submitted legislation to the D.C. Council she said will help reduce the number of violent crimes.
“We work every single day to make sure that we are driving down those numbers,” she said. “We’re focused of course on closing gaps in the law, looking at what we can do better administratively and making sure that we have programs and services that are engaging our young people, but that the system of consequences is also working.”
While the District is seeing a spike in murders, big cities nationwide are seeing a decline.
New York City's murder rate is down close to 14% from last year. Philadelphia is down by 16%, and Chicago has seen a 6% drop over last year.
Murders are down about 12% in more than 90 cities that have released data for 2023, compared with this same time last year.
