(KRON) — A new interactive map lays out the number of gun homicides in California since 2014, and the numbers are staggering. The map is a result of a partnership between the Hope and Heal Fund and Romo GIS Enterprise.
The map gives a detailed examination of the more than 12,800 gun homicides in California at a micro level, down to which street the shootings took place on. This is the first time that Californians can see this many details about shootings across the state.
The data is grouped together in clusters to represent the density of gun homicides in a particular county or area. The largest clusters in California are in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Greater Los Angeles Area. The clusters in the two areas represent 5,900 gun deaths or more than 46% of all California gun deaths over the nine-year period.
The number of gun deaths in California grew after 2019. While California gun homicides peaked at 1,800 in 2021, they went down to 1,700 gun deaths in the state in 2022.
“The map clearly illustrates that non-urban settings are being impacted and contribute heavily to the total firearm homicides,” the report from Hope and Heal states.
Bay Area Counties
The cluster of gun homicides in the Bay Area represents around 2,100 gun deaths over the nine-year period. The gun homicides in the Bay Area are concentrated in the East Bay, where more than 1,200 deaths took place.
- Alameda – 951
- Contra Costa – 416
- Marin – 32
- Napa – 21
- San Francisco – 287
- San Mateo – 82
- Santa Clara – 320
- Solano – 196
- Sonoma- 69
Southern California Counties
Gun homicides are more frequent in the Greater Los Angeles area than any other part of the Golden State, according to the data shared by Hope and Heal. Around 3,800 gun homicides took place between 2014 and 2022 in or around Los Angeles County.
- Los Angeles – 3,800+
- San Bernardino – 863
- Orange – 394
- Riverside – 697
- San Diego – 584
- Ventura – 145
- Santa Barbara – 110
Northern California Counties (not including Bay Area)
Northern California had some of the fewest gun homicides across the state. The Redding area saw 111 gun deaths, and the Eureka area had 47 gun deaths between 2014 and 2022.
- Del Norte – 4
- Humboldt – 70
- Mendocino – 23
- Modoc – 4
- Shasta – 68
- Siskiyou – 20
- Tehama – 39
- Trinity – 14
North-Central California Counties
The largest cluster of gun homicides in North Central California took place in the Sacramento area, which represents 609 gun deaths over nine years.
- Amador – 13
- Sacramento – 609
- San Joaquin – 437
- El Dorado – 28
- Lake – 23
- Nevada – 13
- Placer – 45
- Sutter – 26
- Plumas – 1
- Yolo – 35
- Yuba – 30
Central California Counties
Central California’s biggest cluster of gun homicides took place in Fresno County Fresno saw 580 gun deaths over nine years.
- Fresno – 580
- Kings – 52
- Madera – 43
- Mariposa – 5
- Merced – 147
- Monterey – 225
- San Benito – 7
- Stanislaus – 208
- Tulare – 194
- Tuolumne – 8
- Calaveras – 10
- Kern – 80
- San Luis Obispo – 20
- Santa Cruz – 41
Hope and Heal Fund says a goal of the project was to “counter inaccurate assumptions regarding urban centers being driver of gun homicides in California.” The map also clarifies the different types of gun violence happening across the state, specifically those related to intimate partner violence.
“Currently, general homicide data from law enforcement agencies often overlook the impact and frequency of intimate partner homicides, leading to misconceptions about the primary drivers of gun violence,” Cuco Rodriguez, Hope and Heal Fund’s Chief Strategist and Equity Officer said.
