The City of Philadelphia has eclipsed 100 homicides by March 15th. This is the earliest in a new year that this grisly benchmark has been passed. Murders are up 32% overall from 2020, a very deadly year which saw nearly 500 murders. Over 2,000 people were shot on Philadelphia streets in 2020.
All told, the City of Philadelphia has recorded over 100 homicides in less than 100 days. It took just 72 days in 2021, which could be a very grim indicator of what to expect when the weather warms. Homicides spike in the summer months, which was especially true in 2020.
All across the country, dozens of municipalities reported massive spikes in homicides following pandemic related economic hardship and anti-police riots. Louisville’s murder rate spiked 99% from 2019 while that of New York jumped 41%. The trend has taken place across the country, with historically low murder states such as Colorado recording a 30% spike in homicides.
As for Philadelphia, 494 murders were recorded in the city in 2020. This was up 40% from 2019. If current trends continue, 2021 could be the deadliest year on record for the City of Brotherly Love.
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