New Orleans is ahead of pace to exceed last year's total homicides, and the violence is getting deadlier.
Both total homicides and total shooting incidents are up. New Orleans Metro Crime Commission president Rafael Goyeneche says unlike reported homicides, reported shooting incidents can have one or more victims in a single report.
"So what we started doing is comparing homicide incidents with shooting incidents and track them over a four year period of time," Goyeneche explained.
In 2021, only about 24 percent of shooting incidents proved fatal, while Goyeneche said "the ratio of homicides to shootings this year is 32 percent. Meaning that if you are involved, the victim of a shooting, you're more likely to be a fatality this year than last year."
New Orleans so far this year has experienced 44 percent more homicides compared to the same time last year.