Los Angeles’ homicide rate in 2025 plummeted to the lowest level in over seven decades while the number of shooting victims decreased, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday.
A total of 230 people died in murder cases in 2025, compared to 284 in 2024, according to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.
The 19% decrease in homicide deaths means for every group of 100,000 in the city, 5.9 people were killed in homicides last year.
The number of shooting victims declined from 981 in 2024 to 899 in 2025, a 8% decrease, according to the LAPD’s annual review of crime and initiatives report.
“I go back to 1993, our highest year, we had almost 1,100 homicides in the city of LA,” McDonnell said. “The reduction there of 75-plus percent is something we should be celebrating and building on.”
Among the people killed in homicides, 61 were homeless related while 100 were gang related. The homeless-related homicides went up 20% last year as the gang-related deaths went up 4%.
The report also showed that efforts to reduce gun violence led to a sustained increase in the recovery of firearms. In 2025, LAPD seized 8,650 firearms, which officials said directly contributed to the reductions in shootings and homicides.
LA saw fewer deadly car crashes in 2025 with 290 killed in collisions. That’s a 6% decrease from 2024.
Chief McDonnell said burglary and organized retail theft remained top priorities for the department as investigators ” dismantled prolific burglary and retail theft crews.”
“These coordinated efforts led to significant arrests, felony filings, and noticeable declines in property crime across the city.”
The chief touted new initiatives, such as drones and real-time crime centers, helped to reduce crime.
The LAPD launched its Drone as a First Responder program in 2024 by November 2025 expanded it to five locations, providing coverage in 15 of the department’s 21 areas. Since July 2025, the program conducted 1,779 flights, averaged 23 deployments per day, and was first on scene in 754 incidents, according to the annual report.
In 135 cases, calls for service were resolved before officers arrived, preserving patrol resources for higher priority needs, the report showed.
Drones were deployed for the 2025 World Series and championship parade as well. LAPD aims to integrate the program with its real-time crime center technology.
The crime center integrates camera systems, license plate readers and analytic platforms into one site, providing information to officers, according to the report.
City News Service contributed to this report.