Homicides last year were the lowest they’ve been in Tulsa in recent history.

48 people were killed in the city in 2023, compared to 67 in 2022, 58 in 2021 and 76 in 2020.

Only two homicides remain unsolved from 2023.

Even with the improvement, Tulsa police Captain Richard Meulenberg wants to keep things in perspective.

"A single homicide is bad — just terrible. And you know, you don’t want to be happy that we’ve only had 48, because that’s still 48 people who have lost their life. But we did see a decline last year," he said.

One person has already been killed in 2024 — a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed Monday night at a vacation rental near 1900 East 14th Street. Two teenagers at the house had reported past disputes with unnamed people.

Meulenberg said it was one of two shootings in the city since the beginning of the year, which shows how quickly homicides can increase.

"We had one, but easily could have had two. And then we start thinking, ‘Hey, is this year going to be, you know, 100 homicides?’ We really don’t know," he said.

While Meulenberg said it's hard to predict the homicide rate, he did say police can prevent them by confiscating guns from people who shouldn't have them.

"We’ve seen some homicides that kids are involved with, and that’s just people who shouldn’t have a gun," he said.

Meulenberg also said officers confiscate guns used in crimes, and from people convicted of felonies.