LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's violent crime spike in the past 18 months has been well-documented, but the city is not alone in seeing a drastic interest.
There were 177 homicides in Louisville in 2020. There were 93 in 2019. And currently, Louisville is on pace to eclipse that number again.
According to the Major Cities Chief Chiefs Association, homicides in the 66 largest police jurisdictions in the country increased by 33% from 2019 to 2020.
And so far in 2021, only 13 of those police agencies are reporting stagnant or decreasing homicide numbers:
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Long Beach, California
- Nassau County, New York
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco, California
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Arlington, Texas
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Cincinnati. Ohio
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Jacksonville, Florida
At least nine people were shot in Louisville over the weekend, and three died.
"This is the third homicide in the past three or four days that we've had among a number of other shootings we've had," LMPD spokesman Dwight Mitchell said. "And an unnecessary death again."
Community activists said a solution will be hard to come by.
"To be kind of blunt about it, this kind of energy is probably going to have to die on its own," said Christopher 2X, of the Gamechangers nonprofit. "The attractiveness of shooting has to be not so attractive."
Related Stories:
- Police investigating after liquor store employee shot to death on Taylor Boulevard
- 24-year-old woman fatally shot in Louisville's Buechel neighborhood identified
- 23-year-old who died after being found shot in Louisville's Parkland neighborhood identified
- Coroner identifies 46-year-old man fatally shot at Days Inn in Okolona
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