"Dallas' murder rate is nearly 2x higher than Los Angeles'," Newsom’s post read. "Don't expect Fox News to report that."
In case you haven't been following the Democratic governor’s social media activity lately, the avid opponent of President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has taken a highly satirical, extremely silly approach, leaving a chaotic digital footprint. Newsom’s Sunday posts seem to signal his intent to make noted Republican Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson yet another member of his lengthy enemy list.
Newsom’s tweet listed Los Angeles with 6.95 murders per 100,000 residents as of Aug. 14, with Dallas showing 13.62 murders per 100,000 residents, according to the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer. On Monday night, Dallas police Chief Daniel Comeaux reposted Newsom’s tweet with a caption reading, “Fact check: Dallas has experienced 49 fewer murders in 2025 compared to this point in 2024 - putting us at 6.29 murders per 100,000 residents. Lower than LA’s 6.95!”
Unlike Newsom’s post, Comeaux did not cite his sources, and DPD did not immediately respond to our inquiries for clarification on how the numbers in the chief's post were obtained. However, the department’s dashboard, which tallies all crime rates broken down by type, places the year’s homicide rate at 6.44 per 100,000 people. But the homicide rate reported by the department for 2024 was higher than the FBI’s rate, at 14.11.Fact check: Dallas has experienced 49 fewer murders in 2025 compared to this point in 2024 - putting us at 6.29 murders per 100,000 residents. Lower than LA’s 6.95! https://t.co/1lX3YU4VFA
— Daniel C. Comeaux (@ChiefComeauxDPD) August 25, 2025
To DPD’s credit, the city’s murder rate has been decreasing year-over-year. Between 2019 and 2024, there was an 8.5% decrease in homicides. During a briefing delivered to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee in January 2025, Major Nathan Swyers said the city witnessed a 26.21% decrease in homicides between 2023 and 2024, which amounts to 65 fewer homicides.
