CLEVELAND, OH — Just before the clock struck midnight to close out 2018, Cleveland reached its 129th homicide. Three people were killed 15 minutes before the end of the year outside a New Year’s Eve party at an Air BnB. The total of 129 killings is one fewer than the total in 2017.
The Cuyohoga County Medical Examiner and Cleveland police shared the grim total. To compare, there were 130 homicides in 2017 and 135 in 2016. The city has exceeded 100 homicides for the last seven years. This is the first time this has occurred since a 42-year stretch ended in 1996. The death toll at that time was high due to the war on drugs.
Out of the 129 2018 homicides, 114 people (88%) died due to gunfire. This figure is according to police records and the medical examiner.
Five deaths occurred during mass shootings. One mass shooting was outside a bar after a music video shoot. Six were shot in that incident. Another incident happened at a downtown strip club. Eight people were shot. The triple-homicide that occurred on New Year’s Eve is also considered a mass shooting. Two others were shot. However, they survived.
A full list of all of the victims for 2018 can be found here. The list includes 2-year-old Lorenzo Ealom. He was killed after ingesting drugs (cocaine, suboxone, and Benedryl). On the older side of the age range, a burglar beat 94-year-old Eucebia Garcia Gutierrez to death while she slept.
The homicide count may change due to a couple factors. One is that the
