ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Even after a series of violent weekends in August, new numbers from the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) show homicides are trending down compared to years prior.
It’s no secret that New Mexico has a higher crime rate than the rest of the country. According to the FBI, New Mexico is nearly double the national average when it comes to violent crimes. However, APD said the city is having a downward trend when it comes to homicides.
Last year around this time, the city reported 76 homicides. As of Saturday, September 7, there have been 66 confirmed homicides.
The department also reported they have identified 60 suspects in their 2024 cases.
The month of August was the deadliest month of the year with 16 victims. Only 5 of those incidents have been deemed ‘solved’ so far. Last year, Albuquerque saw 97 homicides, and the year before, that number jumped to 121.
Even so, the numbers are showing a decrease in murder and violent crime; homicides are down by 32 percent since 2021, and assaults are down by 9%.
Of all the homicides in 2024, 54 of them involved a firearm. Here is a link to APD’s latest homicide report. APD did confirm to the KRQE that the number is now reflective of 66 homicides this year, which is not reflected in Friday’s update.
