"Gun violence in Berkeley last year hit the lowest point since the police department first started publishing data on it nearly a decade ago, reflecting local and national trends. A network of violence intervention workers, faith leaders and volunteers has been working to keep the numbers down, but their pilot program is only funded for another six months."
"After peaking at 53 incidents in 2022, the trend reversed itself over the next three years, falling to 15 in 2025. Homicides are so rare in Berkeley as to make it difficult to identify any trends; in the same time period they yo-yoed between zero and eight in any given year. In 2025 there was just one, a fatal stabbing last January, compared to four in 2024, three of which were by firearm."
"The city's most recent fatal shooting was more than 16 months ago, in August 2024, the same month Berkeley announced a two-year contract with the East Bay-based nonprofit Live Free USA. Led by The Way Christian Center's Rev. Michael McBride, the national organization has been working ever since to reduce shootings in Berkeley by treating gun violence as a public health crisis."
Gun violence in Berkeley fell to its lowest point in nearly a decade, with shootings declining from a 2022 peak of 53 incidents to 15 in 2025. Shootings rose steadily from 2017 through 2022 before reversing over the next three years. Homicides remained infrequent, ranging from zero to eight yearly; 2025 saw one fatal stabbing in January versus four homicides in 2024, three by firearm. The most recent fatal shooting occurred in August 2024. Berkeley contracted Live Free USA in August 2024 under a two-year agreement. Live Free's outreach workers coach roughly two dozen people and treat gun violence as a public-health crisis. The local pilot program currently has six months of funding remaining.
Read at www.berkeleyside.org
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