WASHINGTON — Homicides in D.C. have spiked nearly 30 percent in 2015, a troubling rise that has also played out in other big cities across the country.
As of Thursday, D.C. has recorded 91 homicides — 20 more than this time last year.
As recently as 2012, the total killings for the year was 88.
After public safety leaders huddled Thursday, Police Chief Cathy Lanier offered some theories on why the killings have increased.
“Multiple of our cases have high-capacity magazines and multiple rounds fired, making the shots fired much more lethal,” she says.
She has been careful not to suggest a single explanation to account for the homicide spike.
“We have multiple scenes where there are 40 or 50 rounds fired because of these high-capacity magazines,” she says.
Lanier and Mayor Muriel Bowser have both suggested an explosion in synthetic drug use appears to be contributing to some of the violence.
Also, Lanier highlighted people with serious criminal records who, after getting out, are now suspected of murder.
“What we’re seeing is violent offenders that are committing shootings and homicides that have multiple prior violent offenses,” she says.
D.C. Police have closed about 55 percent of the homicide cases so far this year.
