BY: ABQ RAW staff
POSTED: 1/05/2023 @ 10:00AM
© 2023 ABQRAW All Rights Reserved – Please Request Permission Before Disseminating on Other Social Media Platforms.
2023 Albuquerque Homicide Numbers Down from Last Year by 13 Percent
APD held an end of year Press Conference explaining their Homicide Breakdown for 2023, our version is below:
Albuquerque –
The Albuquerque metro area had another violent year of homicides. However the number did drop by 13.1% percent compared to last year’s total number at 170. As it stands for 2023, ABQ RAW has confirmed 148 homicides through our record gathering. Below we will have the break down of the law enforcement agency who investigated and the different cases they investigated. Readers will see actual officer involved homicides, murder, and justified homicide stats.
This is the 4th consecutive year of over 100 homicides within the Duke City. ABQ RAW’s policy is to count all homicides that have occurred within the city limits and Bernalillo County city limits.
For clarification purposes a homicide is defined simply as: the killing of one human being by another. It really is that simple. We go by the definition and ruling of the Office of the Medical Investigator for homicide determination. Once OMI rules a death a homicide it stays listed that way forever. The OMI is the ultimate decider statewide regarding all issues involving any type of death.
Below is the breakdown:
APD:
cases handled in the ABQ Metro
103 murders
16 cases being classified as self defense
6 OIS/In Custody Death (Note: 5 were officer involved shootings and 1 was a SWAT standoff that had the suspect die from gas munitions exposure)
125 Total Homicides Cases
2022 total was 135 making a 7.4% decrease. APD has claimed a 20% decrease. They do NOT include self defense nor officer involved deaths in their official numbers. (OMI does)
BCSO:
cases handled in the ABQ Metro
17 murders
2 Deputy involved shootings
19 Total Homicide Cases
2022 total 19 cases with a 0% decrease.
FBI:
cases handled in the ABQ Metro
1 agent involved shooting
1 Case
No 2022 homicides to compare.
New Mexico State Police:
cases handled in the ABQ Metro
2 murder investigations
1 Officer involved shooting
3 Total Homicide Cases
No 2022 homicide investigations to compare.
It should be noted that the Albuquerque area still has cases pending OMI classification and our official year end number might go up or down slightly. We will update the story if numbers change. We are waiting for OMI to confirm some pending cases before we add or delete cases.
Today, at APD’s press conference on homicides, APD touted a 90% clearance rate.
However, in the PDF released on December 29, 2023 by APD, which is titled the “Weekly Homicide Update as of Dec. 29, 2023,” it says 58% of 2023 cases were solved and 42% were active.
ABQ RAW has kept a strict record of all homicides that have been committed in the Albuquerque area through law enforcement notifications, tips, and public record requests to the Office of the Medical Investigator. These numbers might increase with more records being released to us from the OMI.