The awful record for the most killings since at least 1987 has been set in Harrisburg, where the 23 homicides so far this year are equal to the figure from two years ago.
Additionally, 2024 is still eleven days away.
According to the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the increase in Harrisburg homicides coincides with declines in other localities and a decline in the country’s murder rate.
With 16 of the 23 killings solved or cleared thus far, Harrisburg investigators have a 70% 2024 clearance rate. Even though the number of killings has nearly doubled since then, that is still better than the national average and higher than the 62% solved by the end of 2023. In 2023, there were 14 homicides in Harrisburg.
With 23 homicides in 2024, Harrisburg had by far the highest number of any city in central Pennsylvania. According to respective police agencies, York has had five homicides this year while Lancaster has had two. The only city in these departments to experience a rise in homicides this year was Harrisburg.
According to Police Lt. Kyle Gautsch, he was unable to identify a specific cause for the increase in homicides this year.
He compared it to an ebb and flow rollercoaster. Our objective is to have none, but that isn’t feasible. Still, it’s higher than we’d like to see and higher than we’re used to.
The ages of those slain in Harrisburg were 13 to 66. Three females were also killed, including two teenagers, Tyemeshia Miller, 19, who was pregnant at the time, and Na Ryah Wright, 13, who made up the majority. Both of them perished in gunshots in which they were not thought to be the intended victims. Their cases are still open.
As has often been the case in Harrisburg and throughout the country, the majority of the victims were killed in shootings. This year, one victim was stabbed, while two others were beaten or strangled. The majority of victims in cases that were solved were murdered by a familiar acquaintance. Prosecutors claimed that one murder, the stabbing death of a 66-year-old man in his North Sixth Street residence on December 4, was a random act.
Compared to zero double homicides in 2023, Harrisburg saw two in 2024—a double homicide occurs when two victims are slain in the same incident. Miller was shot on May 13; as her unborn son was also slain, this was the first double homicide. Two guys were slain in a firefight on Allison Hill less than ten days later.
Each year, homicides in Harrisburg are caused by gang fights, however some are more common than others. According to Gautsch, it was the case in roughly five homicides in 2024. Sometimes innocent bystanders are killed instead of the intended target, even though the shooters are aiming for their rivals, also referred to as the opposition or opps.
Gautsch remarked, “Unfortunately, anyone can become a victim.”
Following District Attorney Fran Chardo’s decision that the deaths were lawful due to self-defense, four homicides were closed without charges. This is comparable to one case from 2023 that was justified or exceptionally cleared.
According to Chardo, two of the murders this year were police shootings: one included an armed guy who was shooting at cops in downtown Harrisburg, and the other involved a wanted homicide suspect on Cameron Street who opened fire on officers attempting to apprehend him. The use of force in the Cameron Street case is currently being investigated by the district attorney’s office.
In Harrisburg, no one was killed by police in 2023.
According to Gautsch, the 2024 homicide rate is representative of the small proportion of violent individuals that Harrisburg police deal with and occasionally have to use force against.
He claimed that there are those out there who do not understand the worth of human life. You are dealing with those who believe they have nothing to lose and will stop at nothing to escape.
The city has averaged about 18 homicides per year over the past 10 years. In 2022, there were 23 killings in the city, while in 2023, there were 14. 22 persons were killed in 1995, the only other time in recent decades that the city came close to this high number of homicides. Only homicide records from 1987 were available to PennLive.
Everyone who died in Harrisburg in 2024 is listed below:
-Daniel Maldonado, 33, was shot and killed on Jan. 27 at his home on the 400 block of Crescent Street. Anthony Williams was charged with Maldonado s homicide.
-Torray Eden, 17, was accidentally shot by a friend who was playing with a gun on Feb. 10 on the 1800 block of Zarker Street. Eden s friend was charged as a juvenile with involuntary manslaughter.
Torray Eden started attending Harrisburg High School after moving from East Pennsboro to the city to live with his mother. He was 16 when he was shot and killed Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Shawn Eden)Eden Shawn
-Willie Ford, 38, was gunned down on Feb. 22 after leaving the Political Club on the 1500 block of Vernon Street. Tyron Stewart was charged with his homicide.
-Tyrone McLemore, 33, died on March 21 from gunshot wounds he suffered on Aug. 4, 2012, on the 400 block of South 14th Street. McLemore did not cooperate with the police at the time of his shooting. His case is unsolved.
-Dewayne Brown, 43, was shot and killed on April 17 at Thompson and Evergreen Street. Police said Erick Boone and Marcus Stultz followed Brown to the intersection and shot him before running away.
-Christian Watt, 27, was fatally shot on the afternoon of May 3 while inside Antonio Grocery at Sixth and Woodbine Street. Police used a trail of blood at the scene to charge Jerome Coleman with his homicide.
-Tyemeshia Miller, 19, and her unborn son were killed on May 13 as Miller shielded a child from gunfire on a porch near Fourth and Woodbine Street. The case remains unsolved.
Harrisburg police are investigating after Tyemeshia Miller, 19, along with her unborn child, was shot and killed after a shooting at the 2100 Block of North 4th Street on May 13.Tyemeshia Miller
-Dominic Jackson, 27, died during a hail of gunfire on May 21 between two opposing groups on the first block of South 15th Street. Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo ruled Jackson was killed in self-defense, and the case was closed without charges.
-Zauhnteen Jackson, 21, was killed in the same shootout that killed Dominic Jackson. Zauhnteen s family said he went to South 15th Street unarmed and prepared for a fistfight when he was gunned down. Kameron Hymes was charged with his homicide.
-Kendrell Hall, 22, was running from Harrisburg and Capitol police and firing an altered pistol at the officers when they returned fire and killed him June 9 on the 200 block of South Street, according to Chardo. He ruled the officers use of force was justified and closed the case without charges.
-Paul Kattouf, 52, was involved in a June 23 road-rage incident on Interstate 81 that police say came to a head when he stopped his car and approached the other driver on State Street in downtown Harrisburg. Chardo said the other driver shot and killed Kattouf after Kattouf sprayed pepper spray through his open window. The shooting was ruled self-defense and the case was closed without charges.
-Azar Hughes, 20, was shot and killed right after leaving a July 5 concert at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (HMAC). He was the third son in his family to be shot and killed in Harrisburg. His case remains unsolved.
Azar Hughes, 20, with his girlfriend Anje Lee, attended prom earlier this year a milestone he was extremely proud of. Hughes was shot and killed in Harrisburg on Friday, July 5, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Anje Lee)Courtesy of Anje Lee
-Errol Staples, 39, was found dead on July 8 in the middle of the 100 block of Linden Street. An autopsy found he died from strangulation and a traumatic brain injury. His case remains unsolved.
-Na Ryah Wright, 13, was with a group of other teens attending an Aug. 11 party at a rented house near 19th and Derry Street. She was killed while running away from gunfire and was not believed to have been the intended target. Her case remains unsolved.
-Antoine Byers Jr., 17, was fatally shot on Aug. 12 after he pulled a gun on a girl with whom he was arguing at 18th and Regina Street. His death was ruled self-defense because he was in the process of threatening harm to someone else, Chardo said. Rashad Neal, the man suspected of killing Byers, was charged with firearms offenses.
-Allie McFadden, 26, was beaten and strangled on Aug. 29 while visiting Kyle and Chanise Burton s apartment on the 100 block of Pine Street, police said. The Burtons were charged with her homicide.
-Thomas Davenport, 38, was shot and killed by his son Tymarion Davenport on Sept. 13 on the first block of North 14th Street, police said. Tymarion Davenport has been charged with his father s homicide.
-Ridge Moore Jr., 16, was shot and killed on Oct. 21 outside his home on the 1400 block of Hunter Street. His case remains unsolved.
-Darius Stukes, 34, was shot five times on Nov. 2 in the area of Hunter and Nectarine Street while visiting Harrisburg from York. Lateef Phoenix was later charged with first-degree murder.
-Michael Thompson, 66, was stabbed to death with gardening tools during what prosecutors say was a random attack on Dec. 4 at his home on the 2700 block of North Sixth Street. Tajyeiah Greer was arrested at the scene and charged with murder.
-Jhonny Torres, 25, was shot to death during an argument on Dec. 8 on the 300 block of Nectarine Street. Santiago Gutierrez was charged with murder.
-Santiago Gutierrez, 29, was shot and killed on Dec. 10 on Cameron Street while he was trying to escape arrest for Torres homicide, Chardo said. Gutierrez fired at officers, authorities said, who returned fire and riddled his truck with bullets. Gutierrez was pronounced dead at the scene. Chardo is still reviewing the case to determine if the officers use of force was justified.
Crime and court news
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