Homicides in Baltimore hit an all-time low for July

Baltimore recorded just 7 homicides in July 2026, the lowest total for any July in the city’s recorded history, Mayor Brandon Scott announced Monday.

The only other time Baltimore recorded a single-digit homicide count in July was in 2001, when the city recorded 9.

What’s happening: The city has recorded 60 homicides so far this year, down from 81 during the same period in 2025. That is a 25.9% drop year over year. Non-fatal shootings fell only slightly, from 190 to 187 over the same stretch.

By the numbers: Violent crime is down broadly across the city as of August 1:

• Carjackings are down 42% compared to the same period last year.
• Burglaries are down 16%.
• Total robberies are down 12%.
• Baltimore police have seized more than 1,189 firearms, including 123 ghost guns, and made 743 gun arrests.
• The homicide clearance rate stands at about 60% year to date. This is the percentage of homicide cases the department considers solved.

What’s driving it: The city credits two programs in particular. The Group Violence Reduction Strategy, a partnership between the Baltimore Police Department, the Mayor’s Office, and prosecutors, targets violent social networks the city says are responsible for most of Baltimore’s violence.

Launched in the Western District in 2022, the program has led to more than 670 arrests and connected more than 406 people to life coaching and wraparound services. About 90.9% of participants have not been revictimized after enrolling.

Safe Streets Baltimore, the city’s community violence intervention program, operates ten sites across the city. Five of those sites have gone more than 365 consecutive days without a homicide in their surrounding areas in 2026: Park Heights, Woodbourne-McCabe, Sandtown, Penn North, and McElderry Park. Safe Streets staff have mediated more than 824 potentially violent conflicts and connected 263 residents to support services so far this year.

What the research says: In June 2026, the University of Pennsylvania’s Crime and Justice Policy Lab published a paper through the National Bureau of Economic Research finding the Group Violence Reduction Strategy played a key role in Baltimore’s homicide reductions. In May 2026, researchers at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Gun Violence Solutions found the Safe Streets program was associated with a sharp drop in youth homicides.

What’s next: Mayor Scott and the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement are developing the city’s second five-year Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan, covering 2026 through 2031. The plan is expected to be released by early fall 2026. Residents can weigh in through public listening sessions, a public survey, or by emailing monse@baltimorecity.gov. Session dates and locations will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Baltimoreans know that July has historically been the most dangerous month of the year — which makes this progress all the more significant,” Scott said. “We would not be here without the dedicated work of BPD and our law enforcement partners, MONSE, prosecutors, our community violence intervention ecosystem, and most importantly, our residents. In the months and years to come, we will continue to double down on the partnerships that are saving lives in our communities, because any one life lost to violence in our city is one too many.”