California's violent crime rate rose 3% last year compared to 2022, according to new data released this week, but the state saw a significant drop in homicides, continuing a recent downward trend.
A report from state Attorney General Rob Bonta's office counted 1,892 homicides in California last year, compared with 2,206 in 2022, a nearly 16% decrease in the homicide rate per 100,000 people.
Firearms remain the most commonly used weapons in homicides, playing a role in 73 percent of murders in the state last year, according to the attorney general's report.
In 2023, about half of victims were killed by a friend or acquaintance, while 29% were killed by a stranger and 15% by a spouse, parent or child, according to the report. Of the victims whose ethnicity was identified, 47% were Hispanic, 27% were Black and 17% were white.
“The data released today is essential to understanding, preventing and combating crime. I encourage local partners and law enforcement to review the data and commit to taking action,” Bonta said in a statement.
“While crime rates remain significantly below their historic highs, there is always more work to be done to protect public safety in our communities,” he said.
In Los Angeles County, homicides rose 8% last year, from 195 to 212, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's 2023 Homicide Report. Ninety-six of the cases were solved in 2023.
The data shows that 155 gun murders were committed in Los Angeles, 100 of them gang-related and four of them domestic violence-related. Ten of the murders took place among the county's homeless population.
Statewide, law enforcement agencies recovered approximately 137,400 firearms with identifiable serial numbers and 36,000 firearms without serial numbers between 2021 and 2023.
The Crime Guns in California 2023 report also showed that 34,419 of the recovered serialized guns could be traced to a total of 1,597 different firearms dealers in California. On average, each dealer sold or transferred 21.5 firearms that were later used in a crime, according to the report.
