Louisville nearing 130 homicides through first 9 months of the year

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Nearly 130 people have been killed in Louisville through the first nine months of this year.

There were 17 homicides in September, according to community activist Christopher 2X. That brings the total number of homicides in Louisville to 129 this year, which includes a man who was shot and killed in the morning of Oct. 1 in the Park Duvalle neighborhood.

September marked the seventh straight month Louisville has totaled 10 or more homicides.

"September was an especially violent month with seven more homicides than we had in August. It’s now unusual if we don’t have double-digit homicides every month when just three years ago, the opposite was true," 2X said in a news release.

Along with the 17 homicides, 24 people were wounded by gunfire. 2X says 329 people have been wounded by non-fatal shootings this year.

"Families and kids suffer from all this violence. You do not have to get hit by a bullet to be injured. The secondary trauma of gunfire is real and with all this violence we’re seeing more kids in need," 2X said.

This year has already become the third-deadliest year in Louisville Metro history, surpassing 117 homicides in 2016.

Last year, 188 homicides were reported, 24 of whom were children ages 17 and younger. That set a record for homicides in a single year, after 173 homicides were reported in 2020.

"Anytime you see up to 100 homicides in a year is alarming and now, tragically, it seems to be the norm," 2X said.

2X said 583 people were wounded by gunfire last year.

Anyone with information about a shooting is asked to call the LMPD anonymous tip line at 502-574-LMPD (5673) or submit a tip using LMPD's online portal.

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