INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis hasn't seen athey've seen an increase in homicides since Oct. 1. IMPD, in fact, reports an uptick in the homicide rate since the month began.
As of Sunday, there have been 14 homicides this month - an average of more than one per day.
Although the homicide numbers seem high so far, to put them in perspective, the overall numbers year-to-date are actually more than 14% lower than last year. However, if this recent rate doesn't slow down, we could revisit those numbers. In 2021, Indianapolis recorded 34 homicides in October.
With two months left in the year, the current total number of homicides is 179. The total number of homicides at this time in 2021 was 272.
Police say there's no one reason for the increase in gun violence, but no matter the circumstances, they continue to emphasize that firing a weapon should be a last resort.
"That's going to affect a whole family. Whether this is a mom, dad, son, or daughter, so many people are impacted by the death of one person," IMPD Sgt. Genae Cook said at a homicide scene on Saturday.
IMPD said the key to decreasing these numbers is focusing on conflict resolution and communication to solve problems.