Houston homicide rate goes up days after mayor states decrease

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The year-to-year homicide rate in Houston is up again days after Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the rate was down 3% in 2022.

On Tuesday there were 187 homicides in Houston compared to 192 on May 31, 2021.

The number was given in a press conference where Turner, along with city officials, gave an update on the city’s “One Safe Houston” crime-fighting initiative.

“Those numbers have been trending in the right direction,” Turner said.

That direction quickly changed.

As of Friday, Houston has seen 195 homicides in 2022 compared to 192 at the same point in 2021, which is a 1% increase.

At the press conference on Tuesday, Turner said it wouldn’t be unusual to see the homicide rate fluctuate.

“I certainly understand that on any given day, or any given week, numbers can tick up,” Turner said.

Houston Police Department’s Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite echoed those feelings at an event earlier on Friday.

“We were below (earlier this week), which was the first time we were able to celebrate that in two years, and then this week we’ve had these violent incidents,” said Satterwhite. “This is going to be an ongoing battle for us.”

The most recent statistics from HPD show a 4% overall decrease in violent crimes this year, even with the slight uptick in homicides.

However, HPD Officer Union President Doug Griffith says violent crime, including the homicide rate, is a problem all of us are living with.

“Society as a whole, we see violence escalating all across this nation,” Griffith said. “We’ve got to find a way to put a stop to that.”