>> Chicago's effort to bring down violent crime remains an ongoing battle, but shootings and homicides are down more than 30% through the 1st half of this year compared to the same time last year and the police department says total violent crime is down by at least 22% this year.

Reporter Matt Masterson joins us now to break this down.

Matt, so put these caught numbers into context for us having they compare to previous Bring These have been some pretty dramatic declines through the 1st half of 2025.

You mentioned the 30% drops in shootings and homicides this year.

>> Those equate to 500 fewer shootings, 600 fewer people shot about 100 100 people.

Fewer killed this year than through the 1st half of the 2024.

So those are all significant declines over last not just back to pre-pandemic levels.

>> But some of these drops are really historic.

In April, there were 20 homicides recorded.

That was the fewest for any single month in Chicago in a decade.

And the fewest for any single April since the 1960's, then June, there were 34 homicides recorded.

That is half the previous June 2024.

And again, the fewest in about a decade for any June.

So these this has been a trend nationally for declining violence in major cities.

But Chicago, it really has been substantial.

Okay.

holiday weekend, summer holiday weekends can tricky in the city of Chicago.

How was violence over this past?

>> 4th of July, we can compare to previous holiday weekend.

More than 40 people were shot.

7 people were killed over the three-day 4th of July weekend this year.

That is down substantially from last year.

It was a four-day holiday weekend, but more than 100 people were shot.

19 people were killed in the city during now.

And so 2025 did see a stark decline.

But this is always a historically violent weekend 2023.

There are 11 people killed in 2022.

Is 8.

So while this weekend, this year's holiday weekend did see a drop in violence compared to last year.

It was more along the recent historical transit didn't exactly match up with the rest of the year.

That has seen you significant declines.

>> The police department says that it has recovered 5,513 illegal firearm so far this year.

What of city officials said about the role that illegal guns play in decline in violence, right?

Yeah.

It's a massive issue.

The city has filed lawsuits against gun makers trying to take care of this with this.

This violence level.

>> Chicago police have recovered an average of its a typically dozens a day this year in May.

It was over.

35 guns recovered per day.

>> In June it was around 32.

But those numbers are significantly different than past years.

There isn't a huge enforcement increase from the Chicago Police Department this year.

But what the city is focusing on beyond just illegal firearms is community and social improvements.

That's what they say has led to this decline this year in the shootings and homicides addressing unemployment, affordable housing, investing in youth addressing mental health resources for people in the city.

That is what Mayor Brandon Johnson and other officials have said has really led to these declines this came right.

Matt Masterson, thank you so much.

Thanks, Prince.