Chicago murders down 20 percent in 2018 compared to last year, police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police say violent crime continues to decline in Chicago.

So far this year, the number of people murdered is down 20 percent compared to last year, from 520 in 2017 to 418 in 2018. There's been an 18 percent drop in the number of shooting victims, from 2,217 in 2017 to 1,843 in 2018.

In September 2018, there were 42 murders and 214 shootings, down from 60 murders and 257 shootings in September 2017.

"It's progress," said Chicago Police Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio. "We still have challenging days and we're going to continue having some challenging days, but this is definitely a step in the right direction."

Riccio credited expanding use of technology centers and adding new officers with the drop in crime.