Crime & Law
Shootings and Homicides Increased Across Chicago Last Month, But Violence Remains Down Compared to 2025: Police
Chicago Police Department headquarters. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
The number of shootings and homicides recorded across Chicago in February ticked upward compared to the same time last year, when the city was in the midst of historic declines in overall violence.
Data from the Chicago Police Department shows there were 25 homicides and 81 shootings across February, increases of 19% and 8%, respectively, over the same month in 2025.
Month-over-month increases in violence have become less common as the city in 2025 recorded its fewest homicides in 60 years. But even with February’s uptick, Chicago has still seen fewer homicides and shootings through the first two months of 2026 than it did last year.
According to the CPD data, there have been 54 homicides and 182 shootings thus far this year compared to 62 homicides and 187 shootings through January and February 2025.
Despite that, the number of people who have been shot has risen slightly, with 221 shooting victims in 2026 compared to 215 through 2025’s first two months.
The CPD also said there have been declines of 27% in robberies year-to-date and 38% in robberies involving a firearm, while burglaries (down 22%) and carjackings (16%) are also down through the first two months of 2026.
Total violent crime is down 10%, according to CPD, and officers have recovered more than 1,450 firearms since the start of 2026.
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
