As D.C. Suffers First Homicide of 2026, Crime Remains Low

Photo by Patrick D. Lewis.

By Patrick D. Lewis

In the early morning hours of Jan. 21, Washington, D.C., suffered its first murder of the year when a person was shot and killed in the 1300 block of Varnum St., N.E., less than a mile from campus.

18-year-old Malik Moore was found shot just after midnight and taken to a hospital, where he died. Detectives have not yet made an arrest in the case, and no other information about it was available.

The 21-day stretch with no homicides in the city was the longest such streak in well over a decade, leaving supporters of President Donald Trump’s federal resource surge and deployment of the National Guard to the Nation’s Capital claiming vindication. Whatever the reason behind the drop in crime, the city is seeing a welcome break from the high crime that has marked the last few years.

Ward 5, which includes Catholic University, saw 132 crimes reported in the first three weeks of the year, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department. In 2025, 227 crimes were reported in Ward 5 for the first three weeks of the year, and that number was 261 in 2024 and 298 in 2023. The 132 crimes are the least reported for the first three weeks of the year since D.C. Police data began in 2010. 

The 132 crimes in Ward 5 include 1 sex crime, 7 assaults with deadly weapons, and 3 robberies, the only violent crimes in the area. The only property crime category that rose was thefts, which went from 62 to 63 versus last year. 

The record low statistics in crime were also reflected on the Metro Transit system, which saw the lowest crime rate in the past 25 years, according to the Metro Transit Police Department. Violent crimes dropped by over a third at bus and train stations.