SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane Police Department (SPD) data reveals a decline in homicides but an increase in shootings without injury in the city this year.
The statistics were presented by SPD at the city’s Public Safety and Health Committee hearing. The data shows homicides in Spokane are down 48% compared to the previous year.
In 2024, there were 19 homicides, while in 2025, there have been 10 so far.
However, the number of shootings without injury has risen. In 2023, there were 95 such incidents, which decreased to 88 in 2024, but have increased to 116 this year.
Lt. Nate Spiering with Spokane Major Crimes provided insight into the data.
“A lot of times fireworks are called in as shots, that sort of thing. Seeing that number go up is most likely a process at which we are actually gathering better data than we have been in the past. Another thing to note is that ring camera footage is very prominent and it’s becoming more and more prominent as we go on. So we’re actually able to capture what was maybe a shooting event versus a firework event,” said Spiering.
The SPD has been successful in resolving homicide cases, with 100% cleared this year compared to 94.7% last year.
The success in clearing cases is attributed to the investigative skills of the Major Crimes team, the use of technology and genetic genealogy when needed.
