Under Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore hits 50‑year low in homicides through mid‑2025

While 2025 has felt like a series of anxiety-inducing headlines, Baltimore actually celebrated a major community win as we wrapped up the first half of the year. This month, the city’s mayor, Brandon Scott, announced that Baltimore has recorded the fewest homicides in 50 years. 

“Through June, Baltimore has had 68 recorded homicides, which is the fewest in 50 years,” Scott said in a press release. 

In the same time period last year, the city had reported 88 homicides. The nearly 22.7% decrease compared to the first six months of 2024 marks the fewest number of homicides in more than five decades.

In addition to declining homicide rates, the city reported seeing a 19.6% decline in non-fatal shootings, a 34% decline in auto theft, a 22% decline in robberies and a 15% decline in carjackings compared to 2024. 

These numbers result from Mayor Scott’s comprehensive plan to reduce gun violence in the city, which he launched in 2021 at the start of his first term. To heal Baltimore’s long history of gun violence, Scott’s strategy approached gun violence as a public health threat rather than a crime issue. By investing in violence interrupters, community organizations and trauma-informed support systems for impacted neighborhoods, Scott’s goal was to reduce shooting by 15% every year for five years. 

“Our continued progress is the direct result of the comprehensive, evidence-based public safety strategy that we have implemented in partnership with residents,” he shared in a press release. 

He also acknowledged the leadership of Baltimore’s community violence intervention ecosystem, MONSE, the men and women of the Baltimore Police Department, regional law enforcement agencies, and partners in the State Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Office of the Attorney General.

“Everybody plays a part,” Scott said in an interview with the Washington Post. “Yes, I’m the mayor. Yes, I had to come up with and deliver this plan. But none of it works without every single one of our partners. But most importantly, the folks of the community.”  

While Scott recalls people laughing at him for his community-based approach, the numbers show that his plan is working. Between 2021 and 2022, Baltimore saw a slight decrease in homicides. In 2023, homicides fell 24% compared to the previous year and then fell another 23 percent in 2024, the outlet reports. 

“Our work is far from over. 68 lives lost to violence is 68 too many,” Scott concluded. “While we acknowledge the historic lows we are experiencing, we must simultaneously acknowledge that there is much more work to do and our success makes me commit even further to doing it.”