BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor
Chicago Police have announced that through the first six months of the year there were nine fewer murders than in 2013 and 79 less than in 2012.
Police reported 171 murders through June 29. During that time, the Cook County medical examiner's office tallied 180 homicides. The difference comes from cases detectives ruled self-defense or involuntary manslaughter.
Both numbers are a decrease from the first six months of 2013, when police reported 180 murders and the medical examiner's office reported 180 homicides.
In 2012, the city saw an uptick in murders as Chicago Police reported 250 slayings through the first six months of the year, a drastic increase from the 186 through the same time the year before.
While murders were down in the first six months of 2014, shooting incidents and victims increased.
Chicago Police reported 880 shooting incidents and 1,103 shooting victims through the first six months of 2014, an increase from the 833 incidents and 1,018 victims last year.
However, the first six months of 2014 saw fewer shooting incidents and victims than during the same time period in 2011 and 2012.
A map of all the 2014 homicide victims can be found here.