BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor
Chicago Police reported a decrease in murders and shooting victims in June 2014 compared to the same month last year.
Police recorded 35 murders last month -- eight less than in June 2013. The 35 slayings are also a decrease from June 2012 and 2011, when the city tallied 47 and 45 murders, respectively.
The youngest murder victim during that time was 15-year-old Dekarlos Scott. The oldest victims were 56-year-old Luis Winn and Albert Glover.
The most murders last month happened in the Austin community, where six people were killed, according to data from the Cook County medical examiner's office. The Chicago Lawn and Greater Grand Crossing communities each had three slayings.
While murders decreased, the number of shooting incidents rose slightly, police said. There were 219 shooting incidents in June 2014, compared to 213 during the same month the year before. Both are a decrease from the 244 shooting incidents in June 2012 and 242 in June 2011.
Despite an increase in shootings, the number of people shot decreased from 288 in June 2013 to 275 in June 214, police said. The 275 shooting victims are a drastic decrease from the 315 people shot in 2012 and 287 in June 2011.
Overall, police reported 171 murders since the start of 2014. 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.
While murders were down in the first six months of 2014, shooting incidents and victims increased.