Homicides in the City of Dallas increased 128.6% in May 2022 compared to May 2021.
The crime of homicide in May ’21 sat at a total of seven reports, but in May ’22, that number shot to 16. This growing homicide trend in the City of Dallas saw an increase of 50% in April, year over year, The Dallas Express reported.
District 2 saw the largest increase in homicides during May, jumping from zero incidents in May ’21 to four incidents in May ’22.
Of the four homicides, none likely has as much notoriety as the May 5 shooting death of 25-year-old Du’Vonta Lampkin. The former OU football player was fatally shot in an apartment in the 500 block of South Ervay Street on May 5, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Dallas police released surveillance footage of two people they say are persons of interest in the death of Lampkin. Lampkin’s friends found him dead at an Airbnb apartment in District 2 after he stopped responding to their messages and calls on May 5, 2022. He was last seen carrying a backpack that was missing when officers found his body.
The City of Dallas saw crime as a whole increase by 6.75% in May, spiked in large part by a 54.9% crime increase in District 1, led by Councilman Chad West, the June “honoree” of The Dallas Express’ “Crime Boss of the Month” award.
Crime in District 4, led by Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold — who is no stranger to the Crime Boss title — rose 28.4% for the second-largest gain. Crime in District 2 as a whole increased 17.43% in May.
Dallas District 2 is led by Councilman Jesse Moreno, a lifelong resident of the district, where he was elected to serve in June 2021, according to his website. Moreno serves on several committees in his role, including Public Safety.
“Deep Ellum (located in District 2) residents and business owners are justifiably concerned about their safety these days,” wrote Stephen Moitz in an op-ed piece published by The Dallas Express. “Crime is spiking. … It’s increasingly bleak as the community many have known and loved for years is undergoing a radical and scary transformation.”
The Dallas Express reached out to Councilman Moreno to see what is being done in his district to slow crime and combat the increase in homicide cases in District 2. At the time of press, no response has been submitted by Moreno nor his office.
The Dallas Express, The People’s Paper, believes that important information about the city, such as crime rates and trends, should be easily accessible to you. According to data from the FBI’s UCR database, Dallas has more crime per capita than hotspots like Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York.
As a result, the “Crime Boss of the Month” title is given to the Dallas City Council member whose district has experienced the greatest percentage increase (or most minor decrease) in crime every month.
How did your area stack up on crime? Check out our interactive Crime Map to compare all Dallas City Council Districts. Curious how we got our numbers? Check out our methodology page here.
