DENVER — Denver homicide rates are up more than 35% over last year, despite declines in most other violent crime categories, according to a Denver Police Department report released Wednesday.
Community crime trends show that through July 1, 2026, homicides were up 36.8% compared to the same period last year. However, DPD said homicides are still 15.2% below the three-year average.
▶️ WATCH: Denver's police chief talks with Denver7's Claire Lavezzorio about what's behind the numbers
In a press release, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said he is concerned about the rise in killings but stopped short of providing any kind of insight as to why those numbers are up.
“Any violence is unacceptable, and homicides not only devastate the families of those who were killed, but the families of the suspects and our entire community,” Thomas said in the release.
To learn more about what's behind the data, Denver7 sat down with Thomas Wednesday.
"I want to say that we are certainly happy with the data, but not satisfied," he said.
When asked about the increase in homicides, Thomas pointed to the broader trend.
"I would hope people will recognize that we are still down significantly from where we were two and three years ago," Thomas said.
When asked about his strategy for the second half of the year, Thomas pointed to community partnerships.
Brother Jeff's Cultural Center in the city's Five Points neighborhood is one of those partners. Founder Jeff Fard said the increase in homicides reflects a deeper problem with how people handle conflict.
"You're seeing explosions not with people who don't know each other, you're seeing explosions with people in their own households or within their close-knit circles," Fard said.
The department backed that up. Thomas said the majority of homicides so far this year involve people who knew each other.
Meanwhile, the department credited its “multipronged” crime-reduction strategies, including the Drones as First Responders program, additional officers proactively patrolling, the Downtown Action Plan and the seizure of 920 illegal guns.
“Preventing and decreasing crime are our top priorities, and we look forward to new and continuing partnerships with our residents to help achieve those goals,” Thomas said in the release.
Additionally, the department said detectives have solved 23 of the city's 26 homicide cases this year, resulting in an 88% clearance rate.
"We have the recipe, certainly, in order to have a safe city," Thomas told Denver7.