Dec. surge dims hopes for dip in Detroit murders

George Hunter | The Detroit News

With just four more days left in 2015, Detroit was close to mirroring last year’s homicide total, the lowest since 1967, although the good news was dimmed by the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl late Sunday, along with the Christmas Eve slaying of a noted musician.

As of Sunday, there were at least 292 homicides in Detroit, the same as during the same period in 2014, when the city saw the fewest homicides in 47 years.

A flurry of killings in late December drove the number up, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said.

“We were down by as many as 12 recently, but we hit a bad patch,” Craig said. “But we ended last year with the lowest number of homicides in 47 years, and it looks like we’ll end up about the same.”

Nonfatal shootings also were down by 12 as of Thursday, from 1,030 last year. Robberies dropped18 percent, with 695 fewer than in 2014. This year’s total: 3,063, vs. 3,758 during the same period last year.

“That’s good news, and a testament to our hard-working officers,” Craig said. “We’re trending in the right direction.”

Among the high-profile killings in 2015:

■Mitchelle Blair pleaded guilty to killing her two children, Stoni Blair, 13, and Stephen Berry, 9, and putting their bodies in a freezer, which she kept in her apartment.

■A 20-year-old man was killed at a block party, one of 10 people shot during the gathering. Despite there being hundreds of people at the scene, no one came forward to provide police with information, and the killing remains unsolved.

■Paul Monchick, 91, was fatally beaten inside his west side home in November, and his house was set on fire. Police arrested a neighbor, 17-year-old George Steward, who was charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial.

■Detroit firefighter David Madrigal was found inside his northwest side home on Dec. 21, dead of blunt force trauma to the head. No arrests have been made.

ghunter@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2134

Criminal homicides in Detroit

2014: 300

2013: 333

2012: 386

2011: 344

2010: 308

2009: 364

2008: 342

2007: 392

2006: 354

2005: 374

2004: 387

2003: 369

2002: 402

2001: 395

2000: 396

1999: 415

1998: 430

1997: 469

1996: 428

1995: 475

1994: 541

1993: 579

1992: 595

1991: 615

1990: 582

1989: 624

1988: 630

1987: 686

1986: 648

1985: 635

1984: 514

1983: 581

1982: 515

1981: 502

1980: 549

1979: 451

1978: 498

1977: 478

1976: 662

1975: 607

1974: 714

1973: 672

1972: 601

1971: 577

1970: 495

1969: 439

1968: 389

1967: 281

1966: 214

1965: 188

1964: 125

1963: 125

1962: 131

1961: 136

1960: 150

1959: 169

1958: 141

1957: 119

1956: 105

1955: 140

1954: 108

1953: 130

1952: 109

1951: 129

1950: 113

1949: 103

1948: 105

1947: 112

1946: 109

1945: 101

1944: 112

1943: 97

1942: 89

1941: 78

1940: 77

1939: 74

1938: 48

1937: 63

1936: 66

1935: 60

1934: 60

1933: 75

1932: 96

1931: 106

1930: 114

Source: Detroit police, Detroit News research