Nov 3, 2008 12:04 am US/Eastern
Miami Goes "Murder Free" For A Month
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
October turned out to be a milestone month for the City of Miami. For the first time in more than 40 years, there were no murders in the city's limit for an entire month.
The last time the city experienced no homicides for an entire month was in 1966. "I'm 45 and born in Miami, so that's big news to me," said Peter Fullerton. As a husband and father, he's very encouraged by the milestone.
He says safety is at the top of the list for his family, and that it's a deciding factor of whether they move elsewhere. "It's about whether we stay or not. It's whether we remain members of this community," Fullerton said.
Mayor Manny Diaz says zero murders in October is partly a result of good leadership at the police department and dedicated officers. "Here we are in a major city in America in a very difficult economic period and we were able to go over a month--my hats off to the men and women who risk their lives every day," Diaz told
CBS4 Reporter Sharrie Williams.
In reality, the City of Miami has gone without a murder for 35 days; the last homicide in the city was September 26th when Demetrius Sherman, 26, was shot to death in Overtown.
Many describe the fact that October came and went with no murders in the city as amazing. But most agree it will be even more amazing if the statistic could become the norm. "It's nice. It's nice to know things maybe are starting to work and that this may be a nice home to raise a family," Fullerton said.
The Miami Police Department reports there have been 55 homicides in the city this year compared to 87 overall last year.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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