Memphis Homicides So Far in 2017
I just went through a detailed report on the homicides reported in my old stomping grounds in Memphis. From January 1, 2017, until August 9, 2017, there were a total of 122 homicides in the city. None of these involved police action, but 2 were ruled justifiable homicides by private citizens.
In these cases, the weapons used were guns in 98 cases; knives in 9 cases; and other or unknown in 12 cases. Arrests were only made in 42 of the cases, a clearance rate of 34%. Arrests were most common when the motive listed was “domestic” or “argument”. When the motive was “robbery” or “unknown” there was rarely an arrest made. This reflects the difficulty in solving “stranger” murders, in which the victim and the offender are not known to each other. These are most often street robberies and car-jacking incidents.
The break-down of motives listed was as follows:
Unknown- 91 cases (usually a robbery or attempted robbery)
Argument- 11 cases
Robbery- 10 cases (in these the motive was evident)
Domestic- 8 cases
Gang related- 1 case.
Thus, “Robbery” and “Unknown” accounted for 83% of the homicides. This completely debunks the narrative that most murders are domestics or gang related. They are certainly not. Note that only 1 case was determined to be “gang related”. This shows that by far the greatest threat is from a robbery or unknown (usually turns out to be a robbery or attempted robbery in some form). These are crimes that are committed in public places, such as convenience stores, shopping centers, and office parking lots. Be vigilant, and carry your gear.