APD: Homicides, vehicle thefts surged in late 2023
Two cases accounted for the substantial number of homicides: the SWAT standoff that killed two people and an APD officer on Nov. 11, as well as the shooting spree in early December that left four people dead in Austin.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department saw a 25% increase in the number of homicides committed locally between October and December 2023 compared to the same time frame in 2022, department officials said during an Austin Public Safety Commission meeting Monday.
Jeff Greenwalt, APD's chief of staff, presented the data set to commissioners. From October 2022 to December 2022, there were 20 reported homicides in Austin. During the same period in late 2023, Greenwalt noted 25 murders happened locally.
However, Greenwalt did highlight two standout cases during the three-month reporting period in late 2023 that accounted for a substantial number of homicides: the SWAT standoff that killed two people and an APD officer on Nov. 11, as well as the shooting spree in early December that left four people dead in Austin.
"Those are seven homicides that all happened in just two calls and is one of the reasons we have such a significant increase," Greenwalt said.
Other crimes that have seen substantial upticks include motor vehicle thefts, with 1,785 incidents reported between October and December 2023. That marked a 38% increase from the same timespan in 2022 when there were 1,292 thefts reported.
Arson cases also climbed from 29 incidents between October and December 2022 to 44 cases from the same time period in 2023, signifying a 52% increase.