Preliminary data appear to show decline in homicides in Charlotte in 2025
Key Takeaways
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Preliminary data show Charlotte reported 105 homicides in 2025, down from 111.
- CMPD web counts include eight 'justified' killings; internal email cited 97 responses.
- State and FBI counts for 2024 conflict with CMPD totals, leaving questions open.
Police data show that killings in Charlotte are down by about 12%.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department homicide data report that there were 97 killings in Charlotte in 2025, down from 110 in 2024.
Those only include what the police classify as murders or non-negligent manslaughter. In addition to those, police incident data revealed eight cases involving “justifiable” homicides in 2025 and 15 in 2024.
Police declined this week to make a supervisor available for an interview, but said they would release crime statistics next week and answer questions then.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
This story was originally published January 9, 2026 at 11:40 AM.
Jeff A. Chamer
The Charlotte Observer
Caitlin McGlade
The Charlotte Observer