Milwaukee and Minneapolis have seen the largest increase in homicides so far this year compared to other major cities nationwide, more than doubling the number of assaults in the same period in 2019, according to data compiled by Fox News.
Milwaukee, Wis., Saw a 120% increase in homicides from Jan. 1 to Aug. 13 compared to the same time in 2019, statistics obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel show. The city saw 101 killings over the eight-month period, compared to the 46 reported at the same time in 2019, the outlet reported.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis saw the second-highest spike, with a 114% increase in sleeves from the beginning of the year to August 12th. Forty murders were reported at that time this year, compared to the 21 reported in the same period in 2019, according to data compiled by the Minneapolis Police Department.
A protest is holding a newspaper for the Minneapolis police who are standing guard against Protestants in the Third District as people protest against the arrest and death of George Floyd on May 27, 2020. (AP Photo / Jim Mone, File )
Both cities have recently made headlines, beginning in late May, with the death of George Floyd while on guard duty by Minneapolis police. Floyd, who is black, died after a white police officer kept his knee on his neck for barely nine minutes. Floyd yelled several times that he could not breathe.
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Floyd’s death led to protests and demonstrations across the country to end police brutality and systematic racism.
Former Milwaukee police officer Alfonso Morales, who was ousted as captain last week, announced on Wednesday that he would retire instead of staying in the department.
Officials had criticized how Morales handled multiple incidents involving Black people, including the arrest of Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown. They were also critical of his decision to use tears and pepper spray against Protestants.
Protesters gather near Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct to look at a building burning in the days after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Minn. 28 May 2020. (REUTERS / Nicholas Pfosi)
In some cities, including Minneapolis, members of the public turned to riots, shopping malls and firefighters began in the wake of Floyd’s death. Other areas, such as Portland, Ore., Have continued to protest and riot for more than 75 days, at times going as far as exploding fireworks at government-owned and police stations and firing lasers into the eyes of lawmakers, according to multiple reports.
Austin, Texas, reported the third-highest homicide rate out of major U.S. cities, with a 64% increase in homicides between the beginning of the year and June 30, compared to the 14 recorded in 2019, according to Austin PD.
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Chicago, Ill., Was fourth, with 461 homicides on August 9 – a 54% increase from the 300 reported in that period in 2019, according to the police department.
Chicago police shell casings are seen where a 37-year-old man was riding a bicycle and was shot dead in the hospital, on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, USA, July 26, 2020. ( REUTERS / Shannon Stapleton)
By the end of June, the average homicide rate for 20 major cities had increased by 37 percent compared to the end of May, the New York Times reported, citing the University of Missouri-St. Louis criminologist Richard Rosenfeld.
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The recent flare-up in protests was accompanied by calls for police departments to be fired, or for parts of their budgets to be split up in ways that would benefit the communities of color.
A police investigation forum, first reported by USA Today, found that out of the 258 police departments, nearly half have cut their budgets.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
