More than 90% of Dallas’ murder victims have been either black or Hispanic since the beginning of the new year, trending above the share logged by City officials in 2023.
According to the City of Dallas crime victims demographics dashboard, out of the 24 murders recorded by the Dallas Police Department as of February 9, 15 were black, and seven were Hispanic or Latino, comprising 91.7% of all murder victims this year. All but two were classified as male. The median victim age of black and Hispanic murder victims is currently 24.5. The youngest victim was 15 years old.
Of the 246 murders committed within the city limits last year, 134 were black, and 81 were Hispanic or Latino. Together, they made up 87.4% of all murder victims that year, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
It is unclear how DPD’s longstanding officer shortage figures into the dynamic. The department currently only fields around 3,000 officers despite a previous City analysis advising approximately 4,000 are necessary to properly ensure public safety in a city the size of Dallas.
Downtown Dallas has been especially hit by the labor shortage, with the neighborhood logging significantly higher crime rates than Fort Worth’s city center, which is patrolled by a dedicated neighborhood police unit and private security guards.
Looking closer at this year’s crime data, it appears Council Member Tennell Atkins’ District 8 in southern Dallas has seen the most murders, clocking five. Three other council members logged three murders a piece: Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6, Council Member Kathy Stewart’s District 10, and Council Member Paul Ridley’s District 14.
Three council districts, however, have logged no murders so far this year: Council Member Jaime Resendez’s District 5, Council Member Cara Mendelsohn’s District 12, and Council Member Gay Donnell Willis’ District 13.
