Murder by Numbers: Homicide in 2012
Thursday's Daily News takes an in-depth look, victim by victim, at more than 300 murders on the streets of Philadelphia this year. Here, a demographic and statistical breakdown of who the murder victims were, how they died, and how the numbers shape up compared with those of previous years:
Murder by Numbers: Homicide in 2012
Thursday's Daily News takes an in-depth look, victim by victim, at more than 300 murders on the streets of Philadelphia this year. Here, a demographic and statistical breakdown of who the murder victims were, how and where they died, and how the numbers shape up compared with those of previous years:
Note: Statistics are based on official homicide count reported by the Philadelphia Police Department as of Dec. 18.
- Of 324 people murdered in Philadelphia through Dec. 18, 40 of the victims, or 12 percent, were women.
- 23 murder victims -- 7 percent -- were younger than 18. Seven of those victims were younger than 10, and five of those victims were just 1 year old when they were killed.
- 84 percent of murder victims in 2012 were shot to death. 8 percent were stabbed to death.
- Of juveniles aged 13 through 17 killed in 2012, all were boys and all were shot to death.
- The youngest victim of a fatal shooting in 2012 was 13 years old. The oldest was 80.
- The average age of a murder victim in 2012 is 31; the average age of women murdered this year is 35; the average age of men murdered is 30.
- 75 percent of women killed in 2012 were shot to death; 86 percent of men killed were shot to death.
- For each woman shot to death in 2012, there were eight men shot to death.
- Through mid-December, there was, on average, one person murdered every 26 hours and 9 minutes in Philadelphia.
- Through mid-December, homicide victims were up 2 percent from last year, up 11 percent from 2010, up 11 percent from 2009, up 1 percent from 2008, and down 15 percent from 2007.
Most violent police districts:
Through Dec. 18, the police districts with the most homicides were:
1) North Philadelphia's 22nd District, headquartered at 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue: 36 homicides
2) Northwest Philadelphia's 35th District, headquartered at Broad Street and Champlost Avenue: 29 homicides
3) Southwest Philadelphia’s 12th District, headquartered at 65th Street and Woodland Avenue and North Philadelphia’s 25th District, headquartered on Whitaker Avenue near Erie: 28 homicides each
The districts with the fewest homicides were:
1) Northeast Philadelphia’s 7th District, headquartered at Bustleton Avenue and Bowler Street: 0 homicides
2) Northwest Philadelphia’s 5th District, headquartered at Ridge Avenue and Cinnaminson Street: 1 homicide
3) Center City’s 9th District, headquartered at 21st and Hamilton streets: 3 homicides
Read an interview with Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey about this year's murder toll here.
The Philly PD's website is still using the number of homicide victims in 2007 (389) as the barometer for 2012. As of today, the number of homicides in Philadelphia is 327. Last year's total was 324. Yet the site states that homicides are down this year by 16%. This is ridiculous and, quite frankly, insulting.— wokmaster- Yes Wokmaster, using 2007 as a comparison is extremely insulting and doesn't reflect the true murder rates (decreases/increases) under Mayor Nutter's administrations. Also, the murder rate should be 328 after the vehicular homicide on Christmas in Kensington. And, I believe there have been more murders than what's being reported.
Thanks for the post and have a safe day, Wokmaster.— Cleodine Velvet Jackson 
Coder, dats racist— 835union- The new real estate taxes proposed are going to reward the bad sections of the city with lower tax rates and clobber the better sections with taxes as high as what people in the suburbs pay. If you are an actual working person and a tax payer, you have one year to get out of the city or you will never be able to sell your home with the new tax increase.— Busta Nutter
- Where are the statistics about the race of the victims. That must have made some people uncomfortable to publish such an obvious factor in reporting this type of news. As far as the realestate taxes, well is this what happened in Detroit? High crime high taxes = middle class leaving. Am I alone here or just flat wrong?— pmerwin
- I'm going to guess those red areas were 0 Romney vote districts. And to echo the previous poster, where are the stats on the race of the victims. Usually that's reported with the other statistics. I'm just glad I live in a zero homicide district.— LouDiamondPhillipsheadScrewdriver
- The FBI's Uniformed Crime Report, for which the PPD sends these stats does include racial and ethnic (latino vs non-latino caucasian) factors in crime reporting, which is sociologically correct in studying crime patterns. Why was this omitted from the article? We rely on the news to be impartial and report the facts, despite political sensitivities. I would direct this comment to the poster/reporter, but they are not credited on this piece.— Philadelphians for Ethical Leadership
- Last year 85% of murders were black on black.... Wonder what this years rate is??— elfman
- The intro to the article says it will provide a demographic breakdown of Philadelphia murder victims, but the only criteria published are age and gender. Why not a racial breakdown? Doesn't it matter? The stats are available.— Pugh
- @elfman and this years mass murders was committed by ... the usual suspects— ihatenewyorkers
- I don't know what's scarier; Living in an area where 28 people were murdered (so far) this year, or seeing all the bleeding-heart liberals who live in high-rise apartments and gated developments guarded by armed security guards campaigning in Harrisburg and Washington to take away the gun I keep to guard my little rowhouse.— DonQ
- I don't know what's scarier; Living in an area where 28 people were murdered (so far) this year, or seeing all the bleeding-heart liberals who live in high-rise apartments and gated developments guarded by armed security guards campaigning in Harrisburg and Washington to take away the gun I keep to guard my little rowhouse.— DonQ
- There is an obvious anomaly in this map. In the extreme southern district the number "77" must be an error.— Pinman
- Pinman going by the numbers on the rest of the map # 77 must be the district.— jfay
- you notice no race stats , i wonder why?
— bigguy1
