Hot summer weekend marred by violent crime, Savannah Police seek warrants
A spate of shootings in Savannah over the weekend have led the Savannah Police Department (SPD) to seek warrants for potential suspects.
On Saturday at about 1 p.m., SPD detectives responded to the 500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, where they found two adult male victims suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot injuries.
Later that night, SPD detectives arrived at the intersection of Indiana Avenue and Ohio Avenue, where they found one male victim suffering from serious injuries. He later died.
On Sunday night, SPD officers responded to the 8000 block of Waters Avenue, where they found a victim dead. Detectives interviewed witnesses and brought one person in for questioning, but no arrests were made.
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Overall, Savannah's crime rate has dipped
The weekend shootings represent an outlier of violent crime in Savannah in 2023.
This year, by most measures, crime in Savannah has decreased. As of July 24, there had been 12 total homicides in Chatham County ― eight of those within the city. Last year to this date, there had been 21 total homicides. To a lesser extent, total violent crimes, including aggravated assaults, have decreased this year. This year, there have been 817 total violent crime incidents in Chatham County. Last year, there were 862 such incidents.
In an interview at 6600 Abercorn Street, the Savannah Police Department's temporary headquarters, SPD Assistant Chief Devonn Adams attributed the decrease in violent crime to multiple factors.
"From a law enforcement standpoint, we've done a lot from a technology and analytical standpoint, we've put people in the right spot, we're working with our federal partners, engaging the community a lot," said Adams.
"But to be honest with you, it's a lot of luck and a lot of support from the police gods, because even though we've had less homicides, we've had a lot of aggravated assaults, a lot of people being shot. That's disturbing to us."
Adams said there is "no indication that any of the [recent] shootings are connected."
"We have our investigations, our other federal partners and everybody working together to see if there is any connection or are these four separate incidents where people decided to handle conflict based on their individual activities," said Adams.
Savannah Police has located "several people-of-interest," most of whom are between 15 and 24 years old, said Adams. The "strange thing" is that most of the suspects have not been on the department's radar, said Adams.
"When we have them like we've had in the last week, it's still heart-wrenching and it still disturbs us," said Adams. "We're not satisfied and we're gonna keep on pushing."
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Weekend marred by violent crime, even as Savannah's overall crime rate drops
