Detroit sees sharp increase in homicides, shootings in 2020
Detroit was no exception to the uptick in homicides seen in some major cities across the nation in the year of COVID-19.
Detroit saw 327 homicides in 2020, a 19% increase from the 275 that occurred in 2019, and 1,173 nonfatal shootings, a 53% increase from a year earlier, Detroit Police Chief James Craig announced Wednesday at a Detroit Police Department news conference recapping 2020.
“It’s clear that the pandemic was the single-most factor in driving violence,” Craig said.
Arguments motivated the highest number of homicides in the city, according to department statistics.
Craig said violence was also fueled by increased drug and alcohol use during the pandemic. Said Craig: “With that increase, certainly the ability to resolve disputes becomes extremely challenged.”
FILE - In this Dec. 26, 2020 file photo, Rockford police and other law enforcement agencies investigate the scene of a shooting at a bowling alley in Rockford, Ill. In Detroit, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and even smaller Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Milwaukee, 2020 has been deadly not only because of the pandemic, but because gun violence is spiking. It is the same for other mid-sized cities. Last year, there were 18 homicides in Rockford, a city of about 170,000 people in northern Illinois. More than 30 have been killed so far this year, including three Saturday at a bowling alley. (Scott P. Yates/Rockford Register Star via AP)
9 & 10 News
December 28, 2020
DETROIT (AP) Homicides in Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and other cities have topped 2019 numbers as violence surged while much of the U.S. struggled during the coronavirus pandemic. Detroit Police Chief James Craig says people are failing to manage disputes and often using guns to settle them. Authorities and some experts say there is no one clear-cut reason for the spike. They instead point to social and economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus, public sentiment toward police following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody and a historic shortage of jobs and resources in poorer communities as contributing factors.
(Screenshot / Fox Business Network)
December 24, 2020
11:38 AM ET
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Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Thursday that his city has already “sent a message” that it will not “tolerate looting and burning buildings” and that’s why it’s taking Black Lives Matter (BLM) to court.
Detroit is suing the activist group for “civil conspiracy” and “illegal acts.”
“We sent a message this summer. We weren’t going to have a lawless zone like they had in Seattle,” Craig told Fox Business Network’s “The Evening Edit.”
“We sent a message. We weren’t going to tolerate looting and burning buildings. We sent a message. We didn’t retreat in Detroit. Because we didn’t retreat and they couldn’t get traction with Detroiters, they’re angry. So create a false narrative,” he said.
5:18 pm UTC Dec. 24, 2020
The Detroit protests against police brutality began on May 29, just days after the death of George Floyd, who died on May 25 at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. Within days, more marches were organized in Troy, Grosse Pointe, Shelby Township and beyond kicking off what would become a summer of largely peaceful protests to proclaim that Black lives matter, to call for police reform and demand justice for George Floyd, Priscilla Slater, Breonna Taylor and more.
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Jah-T of Detroit along with fellow protesters pause along their march at The Fist, a sculpture dedicated to Joe Louis, to listen to speeches on.