Analysis: Homicides in Jackson drop to six-year low

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Reported killings in the Capital City have dropped dramatically in the first five months of this year versus the year before, according to a 3 On Your Side analysis of confirmed reports and news releases from Jackson police and other agencies.

So far this year, 34 people have been killed in Jackson, compared with 54 this time last year, which would be a 37 percent decrease.

This year’s count represents the lowest number of homicides year-to-date since 2017, according to WLBT records.

Our numbers, which we’ve been tracking and compiling since 2016, come from law enforcement news releases, interviews, and confirmations from JPD and other agencies.

Jackson set an all-time record in 2021 for the most killings in the city’s history, ending the year with 160.

The city led the nation with its homicide rate among major cities for the last two years.

One caveat about these numbers: JPD has underreported individual killings in recent years.

Last year, JPD failed to release information on 18 killings and still hasn’t revealed the identities of the victims or whether the cases were solved.

We found that out when JPD released monthly totals to us back in March for 2022, which didn’t match the individual releases of cases and arrests that WLBT has been tracking.

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