Midway through the year, CMPD says shootings are up, overall crime remains down
Half-way through the year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said shootings and homicides have increased despite an overall decrease in crime compared to this time last year.
Overall crime is down 9%, led by a reduction in property crime like residential burglary and car thefts, CMPD Deputy Chief Coerte Voorhees said at a news conference Wednesday. Rapes and robberies are also slightly down, he said.
However, murders and aggravated assaults — which includes shootings — has remained a “continual struggle,” Voorhees said.
This year, Charlotte has seen 54 homicides, keeping pace with last year’s homicide rate, which was the deadliest year in a decade. This time last year, there had been 55 murders.
Aggravated assaults have also seen a 5.8% increase, Voorhees said.
“The more people shot the more likely they are to pass away,” he said. “...We can’t desensitize ourselves that every victim and every person shot isn’t something we want to stand for in this community.”
Voorhees, who said he reviews nearly every shooting report, said that shootings often start with small arguments and people feeling “slighted.”
“We’ve got to change our community’s culture of resorting to violence,” he said.
Applications to become a CMPD officer have also increased, Voorhees said.
As of January, CMPD had nearly 200 open positions due to more officers retiring than new officers joining the force, the Observer previously reported.
