Wilmington issued its 2024 crime statistics report on Tuesday, showing shootings last year were at their lowest in six years and that violent crime was down 21% from the previous year.
While the report pointed out that last year’s 24 homicides are a 71% jump from the 14 homicides in 2023, the number of killings seen in Wilmington in 2024 is a 31% decrease from the number “reported in 2017 – 35 total incidents – in the first year of [the Mayor Mike Purzycki] administration.”
“As the final annual crime report from my administration is issued today, I reiterate how proud I am to have served for the past eight years with one of the finest police departments in the country,” Purzycki’s Tuesday statement said. “The annual statistics we have released through the years are very encouraging and show continual improvement in policing and community relations.”
He also noted this work began during former WPD Chief Robert Tracy’s tenure in 2017 and continued “without interruption” under Chief Wilfredo Campos.
Mayor Michael Purzycki and Officer Wilfredo Campos before the start of races at the Delaware Running Festival on Sunday April 23, 2023 in Wilmington.
The city’s statement did not mention that 2017 was a particularly violent year in Wilmington. Shootings and homicides in Delaware’s largest city increased 22 percent, hitting an all-time record of 197 people shot and 35 homicides, according to Delaware Online/The News Journal records.
While that year remains Wilmington’s shooting high, the city’s homicide record reached 41 in 2021.
The report also mentions that of last year’s 24 homicides, 17 were by gunfire while two were the result of stabbings and five were the result of assaults or strangulation.
This represents a significant increase in the number of non-shooting-related killings and an increase in isolated incidents prompting these crimes, police said. So far, investigators have made arrests in connection with 13 of last year’s slayings.
Investigators also made arrests last year in connection with 10 killings that took place in prior years.
Similar to 2023, Wilmington investigators observed an increase in isolated incidents last year that resulted in shootings and killings; and a continued reduction in group-related violence. When accounting for all shooting incidents and killings last year, police said:
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28% of incidents could be described as “isolated incidents,” with five being domestic-related and 20 being related to altercations or other isolated causes
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7% of incidents are believed to have been related to narcotics or robberies
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23% of incidents are believed to have been related to group violence
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The motive in connection with the remaining 42% of incidents remains under investigation
“We are proud to share crime data for the past year and to highlight continued reductions in major crime categories and enhancements to public safety in Wilmington,” Campos said in a statement. “While we have reported an increase in murders in 2024 compared with the year prior, detectives have already made arrests in more than a dozen of those cases, and we continue to follow up on leads to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the other incidents.”
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington shootings at their lowest in 6 years, city report says