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A Decade of Homicide in St. Louis: Power, Programs, and the Push for Peace (2016–2025)

BY VOTP NEWS STAFF

St. Louis, MO - Between 2016 and 2025, St. Louis witnessed nearly 2,000 homicides—each one a life lost, a family shattered, and a community wounded. Amid surging violence, shifting political power, and mounting public frustration, the city cycled through leaders, programs, and policies—all while trying to answer the same question: how do we stop the killing?

A Deadly Decade in Numbers

According to official reports from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD), homicide totals over the last ten years are as follows:

2016: 188

2017: 205

2018: 186

2019: 194

2020: 263 (highest in over 50 years)

2021: 200

2022: 201

2023: 160

2024: 150 (lowest in over a decade)

2025 (as of March 31): 23

The 2020 spike, which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd, placed St. Louis at the top of homicide rates among major U.S. cities per capita. With overloaded caseloads and a fractured relationship between police and community, St. Louis became a case study in urban crisis.

Leadership Through the Storm

Three mayors and four police chiefs led the city through this turbulent period:

Mayors:

Francis Slay (until April 2017)

Lyda Krewson (April 2017 – April 2021)

Tishaura Jones (April 2021 – Present)

Police Chiefs:

Sam Dotson (until April 2017)

Lawrence O'Toole (Interim, 2017)

John Hayden (Dec. 2017 – 2021)

Robert Tracy (Jan. 2023 – Present)

Krewson introduced the controversial Cure Violence program in 2019, borrowing a public health model created by Dr. Gary Slutkin in Chicago. The initiative launched in three of the city's most violence-plagued neighborhoods: Dutchtown, Wells-Goodfellow, and Walnut Park West. Local organizations such as the Urban League and Employment Connection staffed “violence interrupters” to mediate conflict and prevent retaliation.

However, a 2023 evaluation by Washington University found mixed results. While Wells-Goodfellow showed some progress, the other zones saw little measurable improvement. By late 2023, Mayor Jones ended the city’s Cure Violence contract and brought in Mission: St. Louis to develop a new strategy for violence intervention.

The VPC’s Broader Vision

While Cure Violence focused on a neighborhood-level approach, the St. Louis Area Violence Prevention Commission (VPC) has operated with a broader regional scope. Formed to coordinate responses between city and county governments, institutions, and community groups, VPC works to reduce nonfatal shootings, promote trauma-informed programs, and unify regional efforts.

The VPC doesn't run Cure Violence but often intersects with similar goals: reduce harm, prevent cycles of violence, and build data-driven public safety frameworks. Their mission is to ensure that strategies across agencies are aligned, adequately resourced, and rooted in evidence—not politics.

The State Steps In

In March 2025, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed legislation stripping the City of St. Louis of local control over its police department—returning oversight to a state-appointed board. The move reignited debate over accountability, race, and the future of law enforcement in the city.

Critics called it a power grab. Supporters called it a reset. But either way, the shift marks a turning point in the city’s effort to curb violence—and raises questions about whether state intervention will succeed where local control stumbled.

Signs of Hope?

Despite the historic challenges, 2024 ended with the lowest homicide count in over a decade: 150 deaths. And by March 2025, the city had recorded only 23 homicides—a 55% drop compared to the same time the year before. Analysts credit new data-driven policing under Chief Robert Tracy, improved communication between departments, and the city’s decision to reinvest in youth and reentry programs.

Still, more than 1,000 homicides since 2014 remain unsolved, leaving families without justice and neighborhoods without closure.

The Takeaway

From overlapping programs to political shifts and record-breaking losses, the story of homicide in St. Louis is one of complexity and contradiction. Solutions have been attempted, abandoned, and reimagined. But the city’s challenge remains: how to end the cycle of violence without leaving its most vulnerable communities behind.

VOTP News will continue to follow the numbers, the names, and the policies—because understanding where we’ve been is the only way forward.