Teen homicides fall to zero as Sacramento sees overall decline in murders in 2019

In 2017, Sacramento’s teens were twice as likely to be killed by homicide than the general population, a Sacramento Bee analysis at the time found. By the end of 2019, not a single juvenile was the victim of murder within the city limits, according to new crime data from the Sacramento Police Department.

“Obviously, I’m very happy about that number, but I also recognize that we never take that for granted,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “Never push away a little good luck, but at the same time I think part of the reason why we are seeing these kind of numbers is because we’re making an unprecedented set of investments in our young people.”

Steinberg said he credits progress on this issue in part to increased programming and opportunities for youth funded through city initiatives with organizations such as the Black Child Legacy campaign, Sierra Health Foundation and other community leaders.

“A big part of that has been a purposeful and funded effort to intervene and provide better alternatives for young people,” Steinberg added.

Chet Hewitt, CEO of the Sierra Health Foundation, said programs are focused on “violence interruption and prevention” and are available city-wide, but are concentrated on communities that have disproportionate child mortality.

One such program, Advance Peace, helps participants develop life plans and rewards them for achieving goals on that plan. It also offers case management to help people through hardships such as loss of jobs or loved ones, events that sometimes precipitate violent behavior, Hewitt said.

“It’s not just waiting for someone to shoot at somebody, that is not the case,” Hewitt said. “It really is around the things we know that add additional stress and trauma in their lives, which sometimes causes people to respond in ways that are not healthy for themselves, their families or their communities.”

Les Simmons, pastor of South Sacramento Christian Center and a candidate for Sacramento City Council, said the credit also has to go to the city’s youth.

“A lot of credit has to be give to youth on the street and kids in the community,” he said. “Young folks are making better decisions as well when adults aren’t around . . . because of these investments in their future.”

Youth in the community are also targeted through the city’s network of pop-up events, hosted in different communities to offer a mix of activities, opportunities for employment and counsel for local youths.

“We use it as an opportunity to really have conversations with parents and target age groups we’re trying to reach,” Mervin Brookins, CEO of Brother to Brother, a community organization based in Del Paso Heights “These kids really need to find a productive form of expression.

Berry Accius, founder of Voice of the Youth, a mentorship program, said city funding of grass-roots organizations like his has helped expand operations and opportunities for youth.

“I think when you connect the community with more grass-roots organizations, you get more results,” he said. “There’s a family connection. These kids feel like family to me. I talk to them like they’re my nephew, like they’re my niece. ... Now we have the funding to do bigger things for these young kids.”

Sacramento’s overall homicide statistics

In addition to an absence of youth homicides, adult homicides are also on a downward trend, with homicides having decreased 21 percent in four years.

“The downward trend in homicides from 2015 - 2019 is a testament to not only the hard work of our officers, but the community as well,” the department said in a statement emailed to The Bee. “We believe that the community are our best eyes and ears. The Sacramento Police Department continues to work together with our community partners, and our community based organizations to serve the needs of youth and keep them out of circumstances that may result in a homicide.”

Homicides peaked in the Sacramento region during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but then declined over the following two decades. However, they spiked again in 2015 with 43 homicides that year, nearly double the number of killings in 2014.

Since then, homicides have decreased from 41 in 2016 to 36 in 2018, according to FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. Sacramento Police investigated 34 homicides in 2019.

Of those killings, 17 victims were African-American, 7 were white and 6 were Hispanic.

“While this downward trend is a positive step in the right direction, there is still work to be done,” Chief Daniel Hahn said in a statement emailed to The Bee. “We will continue to work collaboratively to ensure not only our youth are safe, but all people are safe in our community. Together we build.”

Violent crime is also trending downwards in recent years, with the the number of total violent crimes — which includes rape, robbery and aggravated assault — falling from 3,611 incidents in 2015 to 3,329 in 2018 in Sacramento. Violent crime statistics for 2019 have not yet been released.

Figures for Sacramento suburbs

In the county, the number of homicides jumped from 28 in 2018 to 38 in 2019, according to data provided by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Of those, 89 percent of cases were cleared.

Homicide remained rare and infrequent in some Sacramento suburbs like Elk Grove and Folsom, reporting 0 homicides for 2019. West Sacramento reported 1 homicide death in 2019.

Roseville had at least 6 homicides last year, according to Bee reporting. Among them, four victims were killed in a quadruple homicide and were identified as the members of Shankar Hangud’s family, his wife and three children. He remains in custody on suspicion of their deaths.

A Roseville Police spokesman was not immediately available to provide comprehensive statistics from 2019.

Homicide statistics for Citrus Heights were also not readily available.

This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 12:16 PM.