The annual rate of shooting deaths in Leon County has fallen by more than half from a recent peak, continuing a downward trend that began after shootings surged in 2023 and early 2024.
Data compiled from a database of fatal shootings maintained by the Tallahassee Democrat shows the annualized number of shooting deaths falling to 15 as of September 2026, down from a recent high of 32 in the spring of 2024. The chart tracks the rolling annual number of shooting deaths in Leon County from March 2021 through September 2026.
The decline from 32 to 15 represents a reduction of approximately 53%.
The latest figure is also the lowest annual rate recorded since 2023 and represents a substantial reversal from the increase in shooting deaths that occurred between 2023 and 2024.
The data show Leon County’s shooting-death rate at approximately 26 in early 2021 before declining through much of 2021 and 2022. By the spring of 2023, the annual total had fallen to 11 deaths, the lowest point during the period examined.
That improvement proved temporary.
Beginning in mid-2023, shooting deaths increased rapidly. The annual total climbed above 20 by late summer and reached approximately 30 by early 2024. The rate subsequently peaked at 32 deaths in spring 2024.
After reaching that high, however, the trend generally reversed. The annual total dropped into the mid-20s during the second half of 2024. There was a brief increase to roughly 28 late that year before another decline brought the total to about 20 in early 2025.
Throughout most of 2025 and early 2026, the annual number fluctuated primarily between 17 and 23 deaths. More recently, the numbers have moved lower again. By September 2026, the annual rate stood at 15 shooting deaths—17 fewer than at the 2024 peak.
The latest number is also approaching the low levels recorded before the 2023-24 surge. The September 2026 annual rate of 15 is only four deaths above the five-year low of 11 recorded in 2023.
