JPD: Jackson sees 12 homicides in the month of January 2024. Who are the victims?

Pam Dankins, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Updated ·3 min read
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Twelve homicides were reported by the Jackson Police Department to have occurred in the city in January, and all but two of those deaths involved guns, Clarion Ledger reporting shows.

Of the 12 murders in January this year in Jackson, four were committed on the same day, and four more were reported in the last seven days of January.

Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said the police department is working to reduce violent crime in the city.

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"The 12 homicides are not a representation of the good people that live, work and go to school here in the city of Jackson," Wade said via a telephone interview with the Clarion Ledger. "It is not a representation of the hard work that the men and women of JPD are doing, but it is a representation that there is more work to be done."

If the loss of life continues at the same pace until the end of 2024, homicides could reach 100 for the fourth consecutive year: 109 in 2023, according the City of Jackson's website; 135 in 2022; 155 in 2021; and 130 in 2020.

Jackson Police Department Chief of Police Joseph Wade
Jackson Police Department Chief of Police Joseph Wade

Wade said the police department is strengthening its security measures by deploying officers to high-crime areas.

Additionally, he said the department is collaborating with local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies to identify and apprehend perpetrators of crimes in the capital city, in particular, gun crimes.

"We're going to be working with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to help us with this growing issue of illegal guns in our community along with the accessibility and availability of guns in our community," Wade said. "We are going to reduce crime in the city of Jackson."

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Who are the 12 victims of the January 2024 homicides in Jackson?

Here are some takeaway points from the 12 homicides reported:

  • Most homicides, based on location identified, occurred in what ward: 33% in Ward 3

  • Most homicides, based on identification, involved what race: 91.9% Black, 9.1% white

  • Most homicides, based on identification, involved what age: Five victims were under the age of 25

Aside from those findings, the Jan. 23 death of a 19-year-old on Greenwood Avenue was initially reported by the Clarion Ledger as a homicide. However, Jackson Police Public Information Officer Sam Brown said that incident has not yet been categorized as a homicide.

Brown said investigators are awaiting an autopsy report in that death investigation.

According to a press release, the 19-year-old was found deceased on the passenger side of a parked vehicle in the front yard of a house on Greenwood Avenue. A relative found him dead from a single gunshot wound to the head.

JPD is actively searching for a possible suspect in that case.

Anyone with information about any incident is encouraged to contact Jackson Police at 601-960-1234 or CrimeStoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477).

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: JPD reported 12 homicides in January 2024 in Jackson MS