With only two killings last month, San Bernardino logged its lowest monthly total since Dec. 2006. Through the first quarter of this year, there have been 11 homicides, 10 of which police have classified as murders.
That is the lowest total through the first three months of the year since 2004. The two slayings in March were both at the result of gunshots. The breakdown so far this year:
5: Knife stabbings
4: Shootings
2: Beatings (one with a hammer)
Through this same time last year, there had been 17 homicides, 13 of which were classified as murders. As the year progresses, we can see if the earlier year numbers are the start of a downward trend or an anomaly.
Until then, here is a quick recap of the two March incidents:
1. On March 15, 17-year-old Raymond Moreno was shot in front of an East 9th Street trailer. The boy and two friends had come to the residence to settle "a beef" related to graffiti tagging crews, which they all belonged to, San Bernardino police detectives have said.
Raymond was shot with a .9 mm semi-automatic handgun, and died the following day at the hospital. Friends called the boy "Self," and talked on MySpace.com of his style and sensitivity.
Juan Antonio Herrera, a 29-year-old man who lived at the trailer, has been charged with murder and remains at large.
2. On March 16, 44-year-old Kimberly Renee Lacey was found shot in the head inside her West 19th Street apartment. The woman's roommate found her in the living room.
The slaying remains unsolved, but police have said that it appears to be drug related. The apartment was known for drug activity, detectives have said.
Anyone with information is asked to call San Bernardino police Detective Glen Carr at 909-384-5628.
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