Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series by The Frontier’s Kassie McClung using data to help explain trends in our community and state.
In August, Tulsa recorded its highest number of homicides for a single month in 2016.
The city saw 10 homicides in August, three more than the second highest month, June.
So far, Tulsa has seen 48 homicides this year. We put together a detailed map of all the homicides that you can see here.
As of Aug. 29, 96 percent (45) of homicide cases were closed and 4 percent (2) were open.
From 2006 to 2015, Tulsa has averaged about 53 homicides per year. The highest number of homicides in the nine-year period happened in 2009, with 68.
The lowest number happened in 2012, with 42.
Of the 48 homicides in Tulsa since the beginning of 2016, about 81 percent involved guns.
That’s higher than the national average. The most recent FBI crime statistics show that just under 70 percent of the nation’s murders involved guns.
The map below shows when and where homicides occurred in Tulsa and where they happened the most. Homicides occur all across the city, but are concentrated north and east of downtown. (Story continues after map.)
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City has seen 54 homicides in 2016. A detailed map can be found here.
The city saw 73 homicides in 2015 and has averaged about 61 per year from 2006-2015. The highest number of homicides happened in 2012 with 85. The lowest was 45 in 2014.
At least 72 percent (39) of 2016 homicides involved a gun.
In 2016, most homicides happened on a Saturday. Similar to Tulsa, the monthly high occurred in August (12).
The map below shows where and when homicides happened in Oklahoma City. They occur in every part of the city but are concentrated southwest and northeast of downtown.
(Story continues after map.)
Statewide
Statewide, Oklahoma saw 241 homicides in 2015. The majority (about 64 percent) involved a gun.
From 2005 to 2015, Oklahoma averaged 210 homicides per year.
The table below shows OSBI statistics for additional Oklahoma agencies from 2015.
