At mid-year mark, Atlanta homicides up slightly over last year

The Atlanta police department had investigated 62 homicides through June, an increase of seven cases for the same period in 2023, according to crime data.

Last year, the department investigated 135 homicides, down from 171 in 2022. Through June 2023, there were 55 homicide cases under investigation.

Despite the slight increase, city leaders say they are making progress in fighting violent crimes. Both aggravated assault and robbery cases are down more than 10%. Mayor Andre Dickens and police Chief Darin Schierbaum in June announced “Operation Heat Wave,” a plan for targeting the historical increase in crime during the hot summer months.

“Criminals do not get a pass in the summertime in Atlanta, Georgia,” Schierbaum said. “We will make sure that we’re working very hard to hold individuals accountable that want to take advantage of the longer days to cause mayhem here in the city.”

Schierbaum said officers will have an increased presence during the summer, particularly in places such as city parks, and the department’s mounted patrol and bicycle units will also be active. Two new helicopters will also help when investigators need eyes from above, such as when there is a missing child.

Many programs implemented to keep children and teenagers busy, including a work program, also help tackle crime, the mayor said.

Through the first half of the year, nine of the city’s homicide victims were 18 and younger, data from the police department shows. On July 2, two 13-year-old boys were killed at an apartment complex in Oakland City.

Lamon Freeman and one of his best friends, Jakody Davis were both shot to death around 12:30 a.m. while hanging out on the steps of a building at the West End Apartments. A 12-year-old boy was also shot and had to be hospitalized, Atlanta police said.

“Literally, today’s his birthday, and it’s not good at all,” Freeman’s cousin, Tiwana McCoy, told reporters just feet from where police were conducting their homicide investigation. “He’s supposed to be here with us celebrating, doing what we do as a celebration for his birthday.”

City leaders have again asked for the public’s help in keeping guns safely secured — and not in view in cars.

In 2023, 2,500 guns were reported stolen in the city, including more than 1,800 stolen from vehicles, Dickens said.

“There are too many guns on our streets, plain and simple,” Dickens said. “Just too many guns in the hands of people.

“Across the metro area region, we can be more vigilant about leaving guns in cars unattended,” he said. “This will help reduce the number of car break-ins, vehicle thefts and the flow of guns to the streets.”

Most homicides, authorities say, stem from disputes between people who know each other.

Dickens and Schierbaum discussed the summer crimefighting plans after a shocking day of crime in Atlanta.

On June 11, 34-year-old Jeremy Malone of Morrow, got into a fight in a food hall on Peachtree Street, shooting three people before he was arrested, police said. He was charged with aggravated assault, third-degree cruelty to children, reckless conduct and possession of a firearm by a felon and during the commission of a crime.

The same afternoon, investigators said, 39-year-old Joseph Grier hijacked a bus, leading it through three counties before stopping on Hugh Howell Road in DeKalb County. Grier opened fire during the ordeal, authorities said, killing Ernest Byrd Jr., 58. Byrd’s death was one of 11 homicides in June. Grier was charged with murder, numerous counts of aggravated assault and kidnapping and hijacking a motor vehicle.

Malone and Grier both have extensive felony records and were prohibited from legally having guns. In a bizarre twist, Grier was a witness to the food hall shooting and spoke to reporters about it not long before the bus hijacking and shooting .

“These are the types of senseless acts of violence that we’re trying to prevent here,” Dickens said. “They hurt families, they hurt businesses, and they hurt our beloved communities.”

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