DC's homicide-free streak ends as Trump eyes expanded crime crackdown

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) —  President Donald Trump has signaled plans to expand his crackdown on crime beyond Washington, D.C., as the city recorded its first homicide in nearly two weeks.

A man was fatally shot in the district just after midnight Tuesday, ending a 12-day streak without a homicide, which Trump had credited to his federal takeover.

“In the last 11 days we’ve had no murders and that’s the first time that’s taken place in years actually, years,” Trump told reporters Monday — though city crime statistics show otherwise.

The district went 16 days without a homicide earlier this year, from Feb. 24 to March 13, according to the Washington Post, marking the longest streak in at least six years. Ten days without a killing is uncommon in D.C., occurring only twice this year, including once before Trump took control of the local police, the outlet reported.

DC murder cases down 15% this year

After spiking in 2023, homicide numbers in D.C. declined in 2024, and this year's total represents a 15% decrease from the same period last year.

City leaders have repeatedly pointed to local police data, which puts violent crime at a 30-year low in the nation’s capital, to argue against Trump’s federal takeover.

Despite those statistics, Trump has continually claimed violent crime was getting worse in D.C. before he deployed hundreds of National Guard members into the district.

Trump slams crime in Chicago, Baltimore

Trump has pushed to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, Baltimore and New York City, as well as threatened severe consequences for murder suspects in D.C.

Trump said he'd be open to a federal operation in Chicago without an invitation but that he preferred to be asked by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

"I would have much more respect for Pritzker if he'd call me up and say, 'I have a problem, can you help me fix it?' I would be so happy to do it," Trump said in a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. "I have the right to do anything I want to do. I'm the president of the United States. If I think our country's in danger, and it is in danger in these cities, I can do it." 

Trump described Baltimore as a "hellhole" after both Pritzker and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore pushed back against troops being deployed in their states.

Trump also mentioned New York City as another potential target. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she recently spoke with Trump and told him that the New York Police Department was doing its job and that local policies were effective in reducing crime.

Trump threatens death penalty for murderers in DC

Trump also signaled his interest in reimplementing the death penalty for convicted murderers in D.C.

Currently, the district does not allow capital punishment. The death penalty was nullified by the Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia in 1972 and subsequently repealed by the D.C. Council in 1981, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

However, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office “will absolutely be following the president’s directive.”

Pirro said the law “does permit us to do this whether D.C. is inclined to do it or not.”