CLEVELAND -- There's been a rash of violence in Cleveland this summer, with many of the victims being innocent bystanders.

Mayor Frank Jackson vowed to clean up the streets, but is his plan working?

In their latest crackdown, police are focusing on specific areas deemed statistically prominent for violent crime.

But from a wheelchair-bound man killed by a stray bullet on his porch, to a postal carrier randomly shot dead while he was getting ready for bed, there appears to be no rhyme or reason for the latest string of homicides.

"We have had some homicides and we've had people who have been innocent victims of random violence and that makes it bad," said Jackson.

Random violence is contributing to another deadly July in Cleveland. There were 21 killings during July alone last year, and this summer's stepped-up police presence is aimed at making sure it doesn't happen again.

But the death toll prompts fears that Cleveland could be on pace for a repeat: There were nine killings by July 17 last year, and this year the count is eight.

For the year so far, however, the numbers are more promising. Seventy-one people were killed in the city by this time last year; this year, the number is 56.

The mayor said the city is slowly winning the battle to make Cleveland safer, but the war is far from over.

"You can not measure the things that you prevented. We do know that homicides are down in the city of Cleveland, so is crime in general, but anytime there's a loss of life it's a tragedy," said Jackson.