Nearly three-fourths of the top 50 largest cities in the United States have experienced a double-digit rise in homicides so far this year.
An analysis by the Wall Street Journal, which was published on Sunday, showed that homicides, shootings, and gun violence in the 50 largest cities rose in 2020, with murders, in particular increasing by 24% so far this year, to 3,612. Thirty-six of the 50 cities have experienced at least a 10% rise in homicides.
While the murder rate has increased in a majority of the largest cities, other types of crime, including burglary and rape, are down this year.
The data cited for the analysis came from city police departments, and some of the statistics are months old.
Much of the country has been locked down in response to the coronavirus this year, and after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, there has been a wave of anti-police sentiment, leading to calls for entire police departments to be defunded or even disbanded.
Chicago, the city with the most number of homicides, is averaging one about every eight nights. The total number of murders in the city in July climbed 139% compared to the same month in 2019. There were 105 homicides in July compared to 44 in the previous year, and the city is up 51% from the same point last year.
President Trump has sought to quell violence by sending federal law enforcement officers into some cities, blaming their Democratic leaders, but the report notes that homicides are jumping at a double-digit rate mostly in cities run by Republicans.
