Chicago homicides – Chicago logged 36 homicides in May, the lowest total for any May since 2007, even as killings and shootings this year remain higher than at this point last year. Citywide violence has fallen sharply over the past four years, and officials point to intervention
The morning after another Memorial Day weekend ended without a spike in bloodshed, Chicago could look at May’s numbers and feel an unusual kind of relief.
In May, the city recorded 36 homicides—the fewest of any May since 2007—according to Chicago police. It was one fewer than May 2025. The shift matters because Chicago’s violence has historically surged as temperatures rise, with warmer months and holiday weekends often bringing the worst of it.
For perspective, the city’s recent record includes a pandemic-era peak, when 86 people were killed in May 2020. From 2021 through 2024, Chicago averaged 64 killings in each May, according to city data.
But relief hasn’t erased concern. Entering June, Chicago had 167 homicides in 2026, a 6% increase compared to the same time last year. Police also said there has been a 4% increase in shooting incidents so far this year compared to last year.
What stands out is the contrast: the overall trend has been bending downward over time, even as this year’s year-to-date numbers still sit above last year’s. Overall shootings have decreased by about 45% since 2022, and homicides are down about 35% since then, according to city data.
Those longer-term declines are part of the reason officials have treated recent progress as something that must be protected rather than ignored. Chicago’s Memorial Day weekend this year was the least deadly of such weekends in at least 16 years. And last year, from June through August, the city recorded the fewest murders in that timeframe since 1965.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has said strengthened community-violence intervention. coordinated responses to crime. and increased investment in the city’s youth are helping drive down crime. Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Emmanuel Andre said in a statement. “We are encouraged to see summer homicides trending down. but let’s be clear: we refuse to accept any level of violence as normal. ” adding. “The urgency remains absolute. and this isn’t a moment to celebrate — it’s a mandate to work harder… We remain locked arm-in-arm with our community partners to sustain this momentum and build a safer city together.”.
Other categories of crime have also moved in the same direction over the past year. Police reported a 25% drop in robberies, a 16% reduction in carjackings, and a 27% decrease in transit crimes. Violence on Chicago Transit Authority trains and buses has declined by 20% over the past year.
For the city. the story now is both straightforward and tense: May was better than it has been in nearly two decades. yet the calendar year to date still looks worse than last year’s at this point. The question for Chicago is whether the momentum heading into summer can hold—especially in a city where the risk has often risen with the heat.
Chicago homicides May 2026 Chicago police homicides Memorial Day weekend Chicago Brandon Johnson administration community violence intervention carjackings robberies transit crimes CTA violence