Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney Michael J. Petro provides a useful map for analyzing murders in Chicago neighborhoods in 2016. In the chart below, Mike analyzes how Chicago neighborhood gun crime correlates with murders committed in the City of Chicago.
Summer is a bittersweet time for Chicago. The city celebrates the beautiful lakefront, the Taste of Chicago, Lollapalooza and much more. However, the warm weather always brings a major burden for the city: the rise in violent crime. Chicago consistently made national headlines in 2016 for the particularly high number of homicides. The number of murders reached over 500 before the summer’s end. August was the deadliest month of the year with 96 homicides. According to the Chicago Data Portal, Chicago saw 781 homicides in 2016, the highest rate the city had seen in nearly 20 years.
Chicago Neighborhoods with the Most Homicides
- Austin- 88
- Englewood- 50
- New City- 42
- West Englewood- 36
- Greater Grand Crossing- 33
- North Lawndale- 33
- Roseland- 32
- Humboldt Park- 29
- West Garfield Park- 29
- East Garfield Park- 29
- Auburn Gresham- 27
- South Shore – 22
Of Chicago’s 77 official community areas, only 12 survived 2016 without a single homicide. The majority of the murders, 435 to be exact, occurred on Chicago public streets opposed to within homes or in alleys.
With nearly 90 homicides, the west side neighborhood of Austin lead Chicago neighborhoods with most homicides in 2016. Austin also topped the list for the most gun crimes in Chicago with 332.
Chicago Gun Crime and Murder Correlation 2016
All of the Chicago neighborhoods with the most gun crimes are included in the homicide ranking except West Pullman and Auburn Gresham. Looking at these rankings, assumptions could be made that more illegal guns lead to more homicides.
The number of homicides in Chicago has been increasing since 2013, with 422 that year, and 425 in 2014. However, the increase between 2015 and 2016 is much more drastic. Homicides in 2016 increased by 283, a 56% increase from 498 in 2015 to 781 in 2016.
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Resource:Chicago Criminal Attorney Michael J. Petro