© 2024 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Year of Gun Violence Puts Tulsa 1 Homicide Away From Record

KWGS News-File photo

 With five weeks to go before the end of 2016, Tulsa is in a position to record its highest number of fatalities in a year.

Tulsa has logged 71 homicides this year, tying a record set in 2009. That year, a spike in gang activity was to blame for a majority of the killings.

Although handguns were used in about three-fourths of this year's killings, detectives say they're unable to find a unifying reason for the homicides as they have in past years, when gangs or drugs were to blame.

The city of about 400,000 averages between 54-58 homicides a year. The tally's been as low as 48 recently.

Police say homicides have occurred in every geographic area in the city, rather than a particular high-crime or drug-prone area.