April 2026 saw fewest homicides for a single month since at least 1970
BALTIMORE, MD (Friday, May 1, 2026) - Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced that shootings and homicides in Baltimore City have continued to decline following historic reductions in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Through this morning, the City has seen 33 homicides and 89 non-fatal shootings. Compared to last year, which saw 37 homicides and 101 non-fatal shootings, showing a 10.8% decrease in homicides and a 11.9% decrease in non-fatal shootings.
"This is historic and hard-fought progress- -but our work is not done," said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "Any life lost to violence in our city is one too many. I want to thank the brave men and women of the Baltimore Police Department, our community violence intervention ecosystem, the Office of the Attorney General, my Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the State's Attorney's Office, and most importantly, our residents for their collective work to make our neighborhoods safer than they've been in decades. Now is the time to go even further: to expand the strategies that are working, to strengthen the partnerships that have gotten us to this point, and to maintain our focus on saving lives. My team and I are just as committed to this work today as we have been since day one."
Baltimore's Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS), a key partnership between BPD, the Mayor's Office and prosecutors, which focuses on violent social networks responsible for driving the majority of the violence in Baltimore, has seen success balancing services and accountability where appropriate. Together, they work to reach those at the very highest risk of being involved in violence to put down the guns and change their behaviors. As of April 30, 2026, GVRS has led to over 640 arrests and connected over 376 individuals to life coaching and wraparound services through YAP, Inc., and Roca since it was first launched in BPD's Western District in 2022.
Additionally, as of April 25, 2026, Baltimore Police Department officers have seized over 626 firearms already this year, including 64 ghost guns, and made 408 gun arrests.
Crime continues to drop across other major categories. As of April 25, 2026, carjackings are down 38%, burglaries are down 17%, auto theft is down 11%, and total robberies are down 16% compared to this time last year.