Denver crime keeps falling — except for homicides
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Denver police chief Ron Thomas. Photo: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Crime in Denver is down across nearly every major category this year — except the one city leaders watch most closely: homicides.
Why it matters: Denver ended 2025 with its lowest homicide rate in decades, bolstering officials' argument that the city's post-pandemic crime spike was receding. This year's increase complicates that narrative and has caught law enforcement's attention.
Yes, but: Criminologists caution it's too soon to conclude the city is headed in the wrong direction.
By the numbers: Denver recorded 26 homicides from Jan. 1 through July 1 — up 37% from the same period last year, according to Denver Police Department data released Wednesday.
- The city remains 15% below its three-year average for homicides.
- Detectives have solved 23 of the 26 cases, DPD says.
The latest: The violence continued beyond the reporting period. A triple stabbing near Paco Sanchez Park over July Fourth weekend left one woman dead — a killing not reflected in Wednesday's data.
What they're saying: Police chief Ron Thomas said Wednesday that officers "remain concerned with individuals' propensity toward violence and the uptick in homicides committed this year."
Between the lines: David Pyrooz, a CU Boulder professor and co-director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, said the uptick doesn't necessarily signal a broader reversal after Denver posted one of the country's steepest drops in homicides last year.
- "It's really hard after you're seeing double-digit reductions in violence to continue to drive it down year after year — because it does tend to bounce around," Pyrooz told Axios.
- Small shifts in homicide totals don't always reflect major changes in violence, he said. In shootings, for example, the line between aggravated assault and homicide can depend on where a bullet strikes or how quickly emergency services arrive.
The other side: Nearly every other major crime category is down from the same point last year, including:
- Non-fatal shootings: -10%
- Violent crime: -9%
- Robbery: -12%
- Auto theft: -27%
- Reported gun-related violent crime: -21%
The big picture: Denver remains part of a broader national decline in violent crime after pandemic-era highs. Pyrooz said the city's overall trends remain encouraging, even if homicide totals fluctuate.
What's next: DPD will continue leaning on strategies officials credit for broader crime reductions, including expanding proactive patrols and using drones as first responders.