After eight months and 100 homicides in the District so far this year, Ward 2 is the only sector of D.C. that boasts zero counts of homicide, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Out of 160 total homicides last year, Ward 2 experienced three homicides, MPD data indicates. The overwhelming majority of homicides have happened in wards 7 and 8, while homicides in wards 2, 3, 4 and 6 remain in the single digits, according to the data.
The District suffered a bout of killings last month when 19 people, including an 11-year-old boy named Karon Brown, were killed with firearms in five days.
MPD chief Peter Newsham attributed the spur of homicides to the presence of illegal firearms in the District at a news conference last month, The Washington Post reported on July 22.
“I can say with certainty that there are folks in our community who have seen young men carrying illegal guns and have not notified the police,” Newsham said at the conference, according to The Post. “And until we decide as a community that we’re going to call the police every single time, we’re going to continue to have gun violence.”