Police Data: Savannah's 2024 murder rate three times higher than it was at this time in 2023

Six months into the calendar year, the City of Savannah 2024 homicide rate is three times higher than it was at the midway point of 2023.

According to Savannah Police Department (SPD) data, 18 homicides have been recorded within city limits since the year began. At the same time in 2023, just six were on the books. The numbers are updated by SPD weekly; the most recent data comes from a crime report for the week ending July 6, 2024 (see below).

The report shows 17 homicides for the year, but the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy on July 7 moved the annual tally to 18.

In 2022, SPD reported 32 homicides in total; 17 of them occurred before Independence Day that year. The Chatham County Police Department (CCPD) has recorded three homicides in 2024, according to its most recent report (week ending July 9). That’s the same number of homicides reported by CCPD at this same time in 2023.

On July 9, SPD communications officials announced the arrest of a 19-year-old male in connection to the homicide on July 7.

“Dawontay Williams, 19, has been arrested in connection with the July 7 shooting at 49th and Florance Street. Williams has been charged with murder and two counts of aggravated assault. He was taken into custody by Savannah Police on July 8.”

On Friday, the department notified the public of a shooting that took place near President Street, just after 1 a.m. on the morning of July 12. This time, the shooting was not fatal. An adult female was treated at a local hospital after she was shot in the leg.
“Detectives are investigating a July 12 shooting at the 1200 block of E. President Street that left one adult female with a non-life-threatening injury,” reads the press release.

“At around 1:20 a.m. officers responded to the 1200 block of E. President Street for a report of gunfire. A road rage incident resulted in a vehicle shooting at another vehicle, and one occupant–an adult female–received a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg. The victim was treated and released from Memorial Medical Center. A suspect vehicle was stopped by Georgia State Patrol (GSP) and a weapon was recovered. The investigation is ongoing.”

In 2023, SPD reported 28 total homicides. Savannah’s highest homicide rate in recent memory came at the beginning of 2020, when 17 homicides were reported to police in the first five months of the year.