Violent crime in DC drops 35% in 2024, US Attorney says
WASHINGTON - Violent crime in D.C. is showing a decline this year compared to 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Matthew Graves, the U.S. Attorney for D.C., presented data to reporters Friday showing 3,388 cases of violent crime in D.C. in 2024.
By this time last year, there were 5,215 cases of violent crime, showing a decrease of 35%.
"There’s no doubt from my perspective, the most impactful thing we do when it comes to violent crime is really targeting drivers of gun violence," Graves said. "More importantly, figuring out in our community…who’s really driving violence and holding them accountable to some crimes, so you can take them off the street before they commit the next crime."
3 shot in northeast DC; police issue lookout for dark colored sedan
Graves said data shows the drivers include "several hundred individuals across the city."
"Many of them, affiliated with … what we in the District call ‘crews;’ organizations of individuals usually based in the neighborhood or block where they grow up engaged in a bunch of different crimes," he said. "Their activities, in some ways, are directly engaged in violence. In other instances, the activities they’re engaging in, fueling open-air drug markets, are magnets for violence. So, going after those individuals who really account for an outside portion of crimes of violence is an incredibly effective strategy for bringing the numbers down."
Violent crime includes homicide, sex abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon, robbery, and burglary.
Teens charged in violent robbery that left DC DJ dead appear in court
Two teenage suspects accused in a crime spree that left a well-known D.C. DJ and hairstylist dead appeared in court Thursday.
FOX 5 has been following the case of Bryan Smith, a well-known D.C. DJ, and hairstylist who died from his injuries after being found unconscious and robbed around 5 a.m. on October 27.
Two teenagers have been arrested in connection.
Lela Sandoval, Smith’s mother, has been vocal in the pursuit of justice.
"If they’re [suspects] out doing adult things, they need to be punished as an adult. I’m like, where are your families? I’m so mad. Why is this 14-year-old out doing this? They found him sleeping in a stolen car? Where are the families?" Sandoval said in a past interview.
Graves said cases involving juveniles are typically prosecuted by the D.C. Attorney General’s Office. His office has a "minimal role," he said.
"There’s an incredibly small subset of juveniles who are 16 and 17 that commit the most dangerous of dangerous offenses. There, we have the authority to charge those 16 and 17-year-old adults. That’s an incredibly small percentage of juvenile arrests," he explained.
Graves added Friday, prosecuting is not the only answer to reducing crime.
"These are often deeply embedded issues that have drivers based in poverty, lack of services, health issues, education issues," he said. "We can influence these numbers. We can take violence off the street. We can try to deter other people from being drivers of gun violence. But if there are unresolved things, mental health issues, lack of economic opportunities, there are going to be more drivers."