From Stan Oklobdzija:
If there are no homicides by 1 a.m. Saturday, the city of Sacramento will have recorded the longest stretch - 65 days - without a homicide since 1997. Even if there is a homicide in the meantime, the city is seeing extraordinary reduction in homicides.
The last recorded homicide for the Sacramento Police Department was Kyle Ray Smith, 20, who was shot and killed at a party in the 400 block of Camelia River Way, early in the morning on New Year's Day. Nicholas Moreno, 18, was arrested in connection with that killing on Feb. 21.
The 64-day record was set in June 1998 after Jesus Morales, 36, was shot and killed on the 3300 block of Ramona Avenue by Martin Vega, 30, according to coroner's data. Benjamin Carbajal, 22, died three days later from wounds sustained in the same shooting.
An examination of all homicides dating back to 1997 shows 2009 to be unusually slow as far as murder goes. On average, someone is killed in the city of Sacramento every 7.01 days, according to the data from the Sacramento County Coroner's Office examined by The Bee.
"It's a great thing," said Sgt. Norm Leong, Sacramento Police spokesman. "We can't explain it, but we'll take it."
It's not that Sacramento hasn't seen people hurt in violent crime in this period.
For example, three people were stabbed on the 3900 block of 12th Avenue on Feb. 26, but all recovered from their injuries. On Feb. 23, a man was shot in the leg after being robbed of less than $1 at Brookfield Drive and Franklin Boulevard, according to Sacramento Police. His wound was not life threatening.
Leong said the downtime was a good thing for the department's homicide squad.
"Hopefully, it'll continue through the year and allow us to work on some old cases," Leong said.
Sacramento police have reported arrests or the issuing of arrests warrants this year in at least two homicides from a year or more ago.
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