Homicide Rate Spikes In St. Louis During Pandemic Year

St. Louis authorities tracked 262 homicides in 2020.

The homicide rate in St. Louis for the year skyrocketed 30% higher than its been in five decades.

It reached 87 homicides per 100,000 residents, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on New Years Day (January 1), noting that the rate is the highest since 1970.

Speaking at the annual New Year’s Eve vigil for homicide victims, Mayor Lyda Krewson said “we’re all here today because we are hurting from the violence in our community.”

St. Louis Police Chief Col. John W. Hayden Jr. explained in an interview with Fox 2 that some of the other defining events of 2020 — the COVID-19 pandemic and protests demanding racial justice — could have played a role in the increase, including by demanding more attention from law enforcement.

"This was a year that we just saw unique things," he told the station. "Of course, we had a lot of distractions with civil unrest, the COVID situation that we've had to persevere through."

Officials also noted that St. Louis is not unique in its homicide spike in the past year.

University of Missouri-St. Louis criminology professor Richard Rosenfeld told the Associated Press that 28 cities nationwide have also reported increases in violent crimes.

Photo: Getty Images


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