Decatur at 5 homicides in 2026, police aim to keep number down

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Six months into the year, communities across central Illinois have already lost several lives to gun-related homicides. In 2025, Decatur ended the year with nine homicides. So far this year, the city has recorded five gun-related deaths.

Police Chief Brad Allen hopes that number doesn't increase.

"We are going to try to continue what we're doing with violence prevention and illegal guns and try to keep that number where it's at as we finish the year," Allen said.

Every homicide leaves a lasting impact, from victims' families to entire neighborhoods. Young people have been involved in some of the homicides — both as victims and suspects — but Allen said those numbers have declined this year.

"One of the things that had spiked was the number of juvenile gun-related shootings. Over the last couple of months, we've seen some decline in that. That's promising for us because juvenile involvement in shootings is down," Allen said.

Illegal firearms continue to circulate across the state and are used in many of these incidents. Decatur police have seized nearly 200 guns so far this year. Officers say every illegal firearm taken off the street has the potential to prevent a crime.

"That's about 50 more than where we were at this time last year. We're still proactively enforcing gun violations, looking for offenders, conducting targeted enforcement and paying close attention to crime trends," Allen said.

Allen believes it's important for police to work alongside community advocacy groups to help reduce violence. One of those organizations is CREW.

"I think it's imperative that police be part of these groups, not just to have a voice, but to work with the people involved, help them strategize and come up with solutions as a community," Allen said.

Decatur police will host National Night Out on Aug. 4 to connect with community members and hear their concerns.