Austin's 2024 homicide rate compared to last year's

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three homicides happened in Austin over the course of the last week.

This prompted many people on social media to either inquire about this year’s homicide rate compared to last year’s – as well as make claims about the number of homicides dramatically increasing.

In reality, according to information KXAN has received from the Austin Police Department (APD), there have been 11 homicides so far this year, while in 2023, there were 15 homicides by the end of February. The below graph compiled by KXAN’s Christopher Adams shows these figures.

A homicide defined as the act of one person killing another. As investigations unfold, these cases can range from Capital Murder cases to justified killings.

In the case of the early January homicides that took place at a north Austin game room, two people died – and the Travis County District Attorney’s office ruled that the security guard who shot and killed another man was justified.

The most recent homicide happened early Monday morning in southeast Austin.

‘Felt like my heart had been ripped out,’ each case is more than just a number

Tanya Besch said 45-year-old Warnero Young was one of her best friends of 20 years and an army veteran.

“No matter what time of day or night it was, if you needed to talk to someone on the phone, he would always answer,” she said.

Police said a “paranoid” man shot Young in a random attack at a south Austin motel earlier this month.

Besch said she found out about the incident on social media after Young didn’t call her when he said he would.

“I cried, I felt like my heart had been ripped out,” she said, adding that what she misses the most about him was his kindness.

“I’ve been having a lot of medical issues lately,” she said, explaining that she had suffered multiple strokes. “And I made it up the three stairs at the doctor’s office. And I was so proud of myself, and I really wanted to tell him.”

How homicide investigations work in Austin

“Homicides are the most serious crime that we will likely investigate, you’re talking about someone that took another person’s life,” said Austin Police Association (APA) President Michael Bullock.

At APD, when a homicide occurs, the on-call detectives go to the scene to begin the initial stages of the investigation, Bullock said. Each case will get assigned a lead investigator.

“They’ll have a lot of folks come out, depending on how complex and evolved it is,” Bullock said. “Then in the office, they’ll end up staffing it with any additional resources they need, and then they can have other detectives that support them. It’s a very collaborative effort, they wind up supporting each other a lot.”

Bullock added that homicide investigations are typically the most sensitive and take the longest, as they have larger chances of going to trial. Because of this, he said, police may take longer to make certain details public.

“What may appear to be one set of circumstances could change when another factor comes in,” he said. “Protecting the integrity of that investigation is very important because ultimately that’s how we provide the greatest advocacy for the victim.”

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