Fact check: Homicides in dc by month 2025

1. Summary of the results

The available data does not provide a month-by-month breakdown of homicides in Washington, DC for 2025, which was specifically requested in the original query. However, the sources consistently report significant year-to-date totals and declining trends:

• 101 homicides reported as of August 25, 2025, representing a 15% decrease from the same period in 2024 ^[1]
• Alternative reporting shows 99 homicides through a recent Sunday count, indicating a 12% decline from 2024 ^{[2] [3]}
• Historical context reveals a dramatic improvement: 274 homicides in 2023, 187 in 2024, and the preliminary 99 count for 2025 ^[3]
• The first half of 2025 showed a 19% decrease compared to the same period in 2024 ^[4]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original query lacks important contextual information that significantly impacts the interpretation of DC homicide data:

• Data manipulation allegations: Congress is currently investigating the DC police over crime data manipulation allegations, which could affect the reliability of reported statistics ^[2]
• Political framing: Mayor Muriel Bowser claims violent crime is at a 30-year low, presenting the data in the most favorable light possible ^[5]
• Baseline comparisons: The 2025 numbers show a 3% decrease compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels, providing crucial historical perspective ^[4]
• Conflicting political narratives: While DC officials emphasize crime reductions, federal sources describe DC crime as "out of control" despite acknowledging nearly 100 homicides in 2025 ^[6]

Political stakeholders who benefit from emphasizing different aspects of this data include:

• Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC officials benefit from highlighting the declining trend
• Federal politicians benefit from portraying DC crime as problematic to support federal intervention policies

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement itself is not misinformative but represents an incomplete data request. The query assumes that monthly homicide breakdowns for 2025 are readily available and publicly reported, when in fact:

• Data granularity limitations: None of the official sources provide the specific monthly breakdown requested, suggesting this level of detail may not be routinely published ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• Timing sensitivity: The discrepancy between 99 and 101 homicides in different reports highlights how rapidly changing data can create confusion about current statistics
• Data reliability concerns: The ongoing congressional investigation into data manipulation allegations raises questions about the accuracy of any DC crime statistics, regardless of how they're presented ^[2]

The absence of monthly data may itself be significant, as detailed temporal breakdowns could reveal patterns that annual or year-to-date figures obscure.