MACON, Ga. — Macon Mayor Lester Miller says the media is making the city look bad by inflating violent crime numbers.
Miller spoke at a news conference Monday morning with Sheriff David Davis and Coroner Leon Jones.
What do the numbers for 2021 show?
How many homicides or murders have happened in Macon-Bibb County this year?
Our sources are records from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, and the coroner's office.
"The numbers are what they are. It's not my responsibility -- if you call me one day and ask me what the numbers are, if you call the coroner and ask him for the number, if you call the sheriff and ask him for the number, guess which number the media is going to choose? The highest number. It happens every single time. Guess what Facebook is going to do? Add 10 people to that. Guess what Twitter is going to do? Guess what Houston County is going to do? Add 20 to that. We have to have the same shared knowledge so that it's consistent across the board," Mayor Lester Miller said.
Mayor Lester Miller takes issue with the crime numbers reported by Macon journalists during 2021.
13WMAZ and other media outlets have reported that Macon-Bibb County's had 53 homicides this year.
He says those numbers are inflated and they're hurting the city.
One issue the mayor has is the difference between murders and homicides.
"Macon-Bibb County has not had 53 murders," Miller said.
So what's the difference?
Homicide is a broader term. It includes any killing of another human being that's not legally justified.
That includes both murders and manslaughter cases, so Macon-Bibb's homicide total for the year does include some manslaughter charges, such as a case in January when a man involved in a barroom fight struck another who fell, hit his head, and died.
It also includes a February case when a 14-year-old playing with a gun accidentally shot an 8-year-old.
Depending on the investigation and the legal process, it can take months or even years for a homicide to be confirmed as a murder.
In its regular crime updates, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office reports the number of "homicides."
So does the county coroner, Leon Jones. He's the public responsible for deciding cause of death.
Jones, speaking after a shooting death at the Best Western on Riverside Drive, said Macon had reached its 52nd homicide of the year.
This weekend, we reported on another shooting death at Napier Avenue and Birch Street.
Deputy Coroner Lonnie Miley said that's also been ruled a homicide, number 53 for the year.
That's the number 13WMAZ has reported this week, tracking homicides, not murders.
Our 13WMAZ numbers are based on news releases from the sheriff's office, and regular checks with the sheriff's office and the coroner.
Based on their information, we can verify that Bibb County has had 53 homicides this year, and that those numbers represent the most accurate measure of the death toll from violent crime.