Homicide cases up 28%, property crime slightly down: CMPD Report

CHARLOTTE ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police released its third-quarter public safety report on Thursday, announcing a 28% increase in homicides.

The department said year-to-date, there have been 83 homicides in 2024, showing an increase of 28% over the same timeframe in 2023.

“CMPD’s Homicide Unit investigates each and every case tirelessly, and they are dedicated to achieving a resolution and justice for each life lost and for the victims’ families left behind,” Deputy Chief Jackie Bryley said on Thursday. “CMPD continues to exceed the national average, maintaining a 5-year average homicide clearance rate of 80%.”

CMPD said so far this year, they’ve cleared 70% of its homicide cases in the third quarter.

An area of concern is reported aggravated assaults across the Queen City, which are up 7%, according to CMPD. The reported increase in organized retail crime incidents is a contributing factor in the rise of aggravated assaults, the department said.

CMPD said they’ve investigated more than 900 incidents in the third quarter.

“The city has been a rise in these crimes, which are increasingly violent and threaten the safety of retail employees and customers,” Major Ryan Butler said on Thursday.

Recently, CMPD arrested five people who they said committed several shoplifting incidents across Charlotte. They said these crimes escalated into common law robberies when the suspects sprayed retail employees with bear spray in order to flee the crime scene.

One case occurred on Sept. 1 at a Harris Teeter located in the 700 block of Carnegie Blvd. CMPD said the suspects used head coverings to disguise their appearances and when an employee approached the suspects and asked them to leave, they sprayed the worker with bear spray.

On Sept. 20, five people, ranging in ages from 18 to 29 years old, were arrested in connection to the crimes, CMPD said.

“Organized retail crime detectives work tirelessly to disrupt these sophisticated theft rings that have resulted in significant financial loss and apprehensions of individuals involved in these criminal networks,” Maj. Butler said on Thursday.

Overall snapshot of crime, year-to-date in 2024 compared to 2023:

• Violent crimes: 5,662 offenses in 2024 compared to 5,342 offenses in 2023
• Homicides: 83 in 2024 compared to 65 in 2023
• Rapes: 167 in 2024 compared to 196 in 2023
• Armed robberies: 662 in 2024 compared to 669 in 2023
• Property crimes: 27,874 offenses in 2024 compared to 28,142 in 2023
• Residential burglaries: 1,303 in 2024 compared to 1,497 in 2023
• Commercial burglaries: 1,964 in 2024 compared to 1,481 in 2023
• Larcenies from automobiles: 7,645 in 2024 compared to 8,381 in 2023
• Vehicle thefts: 5,852 in 2024 compared to 5,838 in 2023
• Arsons: 116 in 2024 compared to 106 in 2023

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