Chicago, IL – There were 561 people murdered in Chicago in 2018, which was a significant decline from the previous two years, according to police data released Tuesday.

There were 660 murders in 2017 and 777 murders in 2016, according to WLS. There was also a reduction in shootings in 2018, going from 3,550 in 2016 to 2,777 in 2017 to 2,391 in 2018.

“Twenty eighteen represented another consecutive year where Chicago experienced fewer murders, shootings, robberies, burglaries and thefts since the same time last year,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said, according to WMAQ.

However, several Chicago Police Department officers died in the line of duty in 2018, including Commander Paul Bauer, Officer Samuel Jimenez, Officer Conrad Gary and Officer Eduardo Marmolejo, according to WMAQ.

Cmdr. Bauer, 53, was shot six times, including twice in the head, by suspect and four-time felon Shomari Legghette, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Officer Jimenez was fatally shot while responding to a domestic dispute, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Officer Gary and Officer Marmolejo were both struck and killed by a South Shore Line train while pursuing a shooting suspect, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“This has been one of the most tragic years in CPD’s history,” Supt. Johnson said, according to WMAQ.

Supt. Johnson commended the police department’s “technology-driven approach,” partnerships with other agencies and illegal gun arrests within the city for playing a part in the drop in crime within Chicago, according to WMAQ.

Just one minute after midnight on Tuesday, the police made their first illegal gun arrest of 2019. A man was charged with having a stolen handgun, according to WMAQ.

The Chicago Tribune tracks homicide victims on a page that is updated weekly. That newspaper showed 570 people murdered in Chicago, nine more than what the preliminary data from the police reported.