Criminologist Provides Suggestions For Curbing Violence

Oklahoma City police are investigating their third homicide of 2017 after a man's body was found early Sunday morning.

Coming off of an above-average crime year in the City with 78 homicides in 2016, the new year is off to a similar start. One criminal justice professor says, however, you can combat the problem starting in your own neighborhood.

In the early hours of Sunday morning in the 3200 block of S Shartel Avenue, a woman and her boyfriend were walking down the street and nearly tripped over a body lying in the middle of the road. She told News 9 the man had rope around his legs and looked like he had fallen out of a car.

Police have not identified the victim or any possible suspects, but in this third homicide of the past week, Howard Kurtz said this is yet another example of a cyclical pattern.

“If you have three in a row, you might not have any for a month or two, so what you really have to do is look at the yearly averages,” he said.

Kurtz said Oklahoma City's yearly homicide average is 65. Last year topped that by 13.

Kurtz thinks recent budget cuts to education and the criminal justice system statewide could continue to hurt low-income communities, pushing some toward gangs and violence.

“As these things get cut, we might expect to see an increase over the next year, especially with the economy being the way it is now,” he said.

The answer, Kurtz said, lies within the community, where individuals can make a difference by starting programs for the youth and giving them opportunities for positive growth.

He also encourages neighbors to stick together and look out for one another.

“We used to have neighborhood watch associations that were really active, and perhaps that’s one of the things we need to see a resurgence in,” he suggests.

Detectives are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the latest homicide victim's death. If you have any information, call the homicide tip line at (405) 297-1200.