Data Sources – FBI: Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Phoenix, San Jose – Wall Street Journal: New York City – Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago – Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly – KSAT: San Antonio – KPBS: San Diego. Data Visualization created with DataWrapper.
Last year, an alarming increase in homicides left communities — often in lockdown — reeling as officials searched for answers. That was evident at lots of news conferences as police officials and mayors in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City rolled out dire news.
At the end of 2020, Chicago police reported more than 750 murders, a jump of more than 50% compared with 2019. By mid-December, Los Angeles saw a 30% increase over the previous year with 322 homicides. There were 437 homicides in New York City by Dec. 20, nearly 40% more than the previous year.