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Baltimore Honors 2025 Lives Lost at Vigil as Homicides Fall to Decades Low

Officials used the ceremony to press for continued community engagement in violence-prevention efforts credited with recent declines.

Overview

  • City leaders and families gathered at War Memorial Plaza to read the names of 133 people killed in 2025.
  • Baltimore reported 133 homicides in 2025, the lowest in decades, with nonfatal shootings down 24.5% and more than 2,480 firearms seized.
  • Mayor Brandon Scott declared Jan. 5, 2026 a day of remembrance and pledged to double down on strategies that officials say are saving lives.
  • The vigil also honored people who died by suicide, overdoses and fatal fires, and recognized members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
  • The event followed the year’s first reported killing, a 55-year-old man shot near North Patterson Park Avenue, as police and fire leaders also paid tribute to fallen first responders.