Last December, we reported 37 murders as the highest number on record in Macon.
Sunday's early morning shooting death of Danny Causey in downtown marked the 37th homicide of 2018, that's according to Lieutenant Sean DeFoe with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office.
So we set out to Verify -- are we tied for the largest number of homicides on record?
We used Bibb County Sheriff David Davis, Lieutenant Sean Defoe, and Bibb County Chief Coroner Leon Jones as our sources.
After speaking to the Sheriff's Office and the Coroner's Office, WMAZ learned that 37 homicides was the record only for the City of Macon. But now, we're a consolidated government, so what's the real homicide record for Macon-Bibb?
It started last January when someone shot 49-year-old Ida Ford less than a block from her home on Winship Street.
Throughout 2018, the killing continued, including at least 7 teenage victims and a grandmother.
Two more victims also shot by Bibb deputies, most recently Kaley Gay, which Lt. Sean Defoe says is now considered the 38th homicide of 2018 after Macon district attorney David Cooke ruled it a justified "use of force."
Last year, we reported the highest homicide rate on record was 37 murders in 1992, but actually, Bibb County saw 43 homicides that year -- 37 in the Macon city limits and 6 in the rest of the county. That's according to Bibb County Chief Coroner, Leon Jones and Lt. Sean DeFoe with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office. In 1992, the city and county still had separate law enforcement.
So, at 38 homicides so far in 2018, we verified we are NOT tied for the Macon-Bibb record of 43 homicides in a year. We are actually 5 homicides below it.