Chicago homicides lowest since 1963, police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The first seven months of 2014 saw the lowest number of homicides since 1963, but the number of shootings is up, according to the Chicago Police Department.

The number of murders committed in Chicago is down 7 percent for the first seven months of 2014, compared to the same time period in 2013. There were 17 fewer murders this year than last year and 92 fewer murders in 2014 than in 2012.

Police said the number of shooting incidents is up 6 percent with 66 more shooting incidents this year compared to last year. There were 261 fewer shooting incidents from January to July of 2014 than in the same time period in 2012.

The number of shooting victims is up 10 percent at this point in 2014 compared to the first seven months of 2013, with 127 more shooting victims. There were 239 fewer shooting victims this year than at this point in 2012, police said.

Chicago police also said overall crime is down 14 percent.

Superintendent Garry McCarthy said there is still much more work to be done. He said the department will continue to put more officers on the street this summer, proactively intervene in gang conflicts, work closely with community groups and invest in prevention programs for at-risk youth.

"Yet I will say it again, even with the best police and the best policing strategy in the world, without better state and federal laws to keep guns off the streets and out of the hands of dangerous criminals we'll continue to face an uphill battle," McCarthy said.