By Vanguard Staff
A new data tool designed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of firearm violence in New Orleans was released this week by the Violence Prevention Institute at Tulane University in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice and Washington University in St. Louis.
The New Orleans Firearm Violence Dashboard, announced Monday, compiles and analyzes data from 2019 through 2024, combining information from the New Orleans Police Department, the Louisiana Department of Health and the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office. The project aims to provide policymakers, public health officials and violence prevention organizations with a more complete picture of firearm violence across the city.
According to the dashboard’s findings, firearm homicide deaths in New Orleans (NOLA) peaked in 2022 and reached their lowest level in 2024. The analysis also found that firearm homicides were unevenly distributed across neighborhoods. Among the city’s 71 neighborhoods included in the study, seven recorded no firearm homicides during the six-year period, while 10 neighborhoods experienced more than 30 firearm homicides.
Researchers also identified correlations between lower firearm homicide rates and neighborhoods with higher rates of homeownership, college graduation and labor force participation. The study found that Black men between the ages of 25 and 44 continued to experience a disproportionate share of firearm homicide deaths, despite public attention often focusing on younger victims.
Dr. Julia Fleckman, a faculty affiliate at Tulane University’s Violence Prevention Institute and associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis’ Bursky School of Public Health, said the dashboard addresses limitations that arise when agencies rely on a single source of information.
“No single data source gives us the full picture of firearm violence in a community—each has gaps, biases, and missing incidents that can lead us to undercount the true burden or potentially misidentify who is most affected,” Fleckman said.
“By linking data across the New Orleans Police Department, the Louisiana Department of Health, and the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office, we are able to construct a far more complete and accurate account of firearm violence trends in New Orleans,” she added. “This kind of multi-source approach is essential for public health—because the decisions we make about where to invest, who to reach, and what strategies to use are only as good as the data underlying them.”
Dr. Jordan Vaughn, public health clinical director for the New Orleans Department of Health and Human Services, said the dashboard reflects a public health approach to violence prevention.
“Effective violence prevention requires the same public health approach we use for any major health challenge,” Vaughn said. “Data allows us to understand where interventions are needed, but we never forget that every life lost to gun violence represents a person, a family, and a community.”
Vaughn added that the department relies on evidence-based approaches in its violence prevention efforts.
“At the New Orleans Department of Health and Human Services, we ensure our efforts are guided by evidence,” he said. “By equipping our community partners and health care providers with shared information, we are creating a more coordinated ecosystem that has greater impact and will ultimately save lives.”
Community-based violence prevention organizations also welcomed the release of the dashboard.
“Ubuntu Village NOLA reduces violence by addressing root causes while also intervening and mediating conflicts,” said Ernest Johnson, director of Ubuntu Village NOLA. “Data like this can help our teams understand historic trends in firearm violence to know where to focus outreach efforts and what resources might be most important to bring into the neighborhood.”
Roberta Dubuclet, director of violence prevention for the New Orleans Department of Health and Human Services, said the tool can help target resources where they are most needed.
“The New Orleans Firearm Violence Dashboard will be a valuable tool to decrease violence throughout our neighborhoods,” Dubuclet said. “Combining data with the human aspect of violence ensures our strategy remains focused where it matters most: on community-centered solutions that save lives.”
Researchers involved in the project emphasized that firearm violence is closely linked to broader social and economic conditions.
“Violence doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Dr. Kim Mosby, associate director of research for Vera Louisiana. “Our analysis shows that firearm violence is not distributed equally across the city. Neighborhoods with lower rates of poverty, stable housing, and reliable access to basic needs experience lower rates of firearm homicide.”
Mosby argued that public policy decisions play a significant role in shaping community conditions.
“Lives are shaped by neighborhoods and policymakers, who decide where housing, jobs, and opportunities are located,” Mosby said. “We need policy decisions and investment that build safe, thriving communities in each neighborhood to help reduce firearm violence in New Orleans.”
Dr. Kerry Mulligan, associate director of research for the Vera Institute of Justice’s Redefining Public Safety Initiative, said the dashboard is intended to support evidence-based decision-making.
“City and community leaders in New Orleans know firearm violence is a public health issue,” Mulligan said. “This tool builds on that knowledge.”
“By creating a more complete picture of firearm violence dynamics and the structural factors that are associated with lower rates of firearm violence in some neighborhoods, decision-makers are empowered with critical information to design effective strategies and direct investments to address firearm violence, improve public health, and increase community safety,” Mulligan added.
The dashboard’s creators said they hope the tool will help agencies and community organizations better understand patterns of firearm violence and target prevention strategies more effectively. By integrating law enforcement, health and coroner data into a single resource, the project seeks to provide a fuller understanding of how firearm violence affects New Orleans residents and neighborhoods, while informing future investments in public safety and community well-being.
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