Report: Atlanta sees highest homicide rate since 1990
Atlanta, Georgia is seeing record-breaking homicide rates amid a rise in violent crime across the nation.
(Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 9:35 AM PT – Saturday, November 28, 2020
Atlanta, Georgia is seeing record-breaking homicide rates amid a rise in violent crime across the nation.
According to Atlanta police, there have been more than 130 homicides in 2020, which makes it the deadliest year for Georgia’s capital since 1990.
The number of confirmed homicides currently sits at 131, which is exponentially higher than the 90 murders reported at the same time last year. There has been a 46 percent increase.
Crime statistics of the city’s layout show the largest increase has been seen in the ‘downtown’ and ‘midtown’ areas, with a massive spike of 317 percent reported.
The APD projects there will be 145 homicides by the end of the year, which will be the largest number since the 241 reported homicides in 1990.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms mentioned the spike in homicides in October. She noted a greater police presence could be the solution.
“We are seeing numbers that we’ve not seen in Atlanta specifically in several years,” the Atlanta mayor stated. “So, we recognize this is a problem.”
According to authorities, the high homicide rate is not exclusive to Atlanta. The entire nation has seen a rise in violent crimes throughout 2020.
“We’re seeing this trend across the country,” APD Deputy Chief Timothy Peek said. “What we need to do is really have those conversations with our citizens so that they understand exactly what’s going on and we can get them to change their mindset.”
APD added they expect the rate of violent crimes will steadily increase throughout the end of the year.