Crimes, Homicides & Suicides

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? Shutdowns drove homicide surge

A demonstrator from the group Stop Killing Us stands outside Philadelphia's city hall in April 2020 to call attention to the jump in homicides. Photo: Cory Clark/NurPhoto via Getty Images New data suggest that the homicide surge of 2020 was driven largely by men and teen boys who were either laid off or saw their schools close during pandemic shutdowns, Axios' Russell Contreras reports. Between the lines: Record spikes in homicides during the COVID-19 crisis puzzled officials, and some blamed social unrest and mass protests. But a Brookings Institution analysis reviewed by Axios indicates that alienated men and youths, especially in low-income areas, were likely behind the surge. Catch up quick: U.S. cities saw their homicide rates surge by an average of nearly 30% in 2020, the biggest year-over-year jump recorded in U.S. history. Homicide rates ticked up for two more years until 2023, when rates started to plummet. Early numbers show the national homicide rate in 2024 is on track to return to pre-pandemic levels. ? Zoom in: Cities with larger numbers of young men forced out of work and teen boys pushed out of school in low-income neighborhoods in March and early April 2020 averaged greater increases in homicides from May to December that year than other areas, Brookings' analysis of police records found. "You had this combined effect of places where crimes always existed, and then this massive influx of young boys who were out of school and young men who were out of work all at the same time," Rhett Morris, co-author of the report, tells Axios. Keep reading.

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? Stat du jour: D.C. sees steep crime drop

Data: D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. Chart: Axios Visuals Violent crime — homicides, carjackings, robberies and more — declined in D.C. in 2024 after a post-pandemic crime spike, Axios D.C.'s Cuneyt Dil reports. D.C. ended the year with fewer than 200 homicides for the first time since 2020. Between the lines: D.C. has been focusing on capturing illegal guns and policing the "small number of people who are responsible for most crimes," Mayor Muriel Bowser told a congressional committee last month. ? By the numbers: 2024 brought 190 killings — a 31% drop from 2023, when the city recorded a 26-year high in homicides, according to D.C. police stats. Violent crime in total dropped 35% in 2024. Carjackings declined by nearly half to 498 incidents — after increasing for six straight years.

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US cities largely saw a drop in violent crime in 2024, yet many still feel unsafe

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As U.S. police departments release preliminary or finalized 2024 crime numbers, many are reporting historic declines in homicides and drops in other violent crimes compared to 2023.

https://apnews.com/article/violent-crime-homicides-statistics-safety-c28f7291a1e9b8c310b586ba6514222c?

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Arrests in luxury home burglaries targeting NFL, NBA players are the ‘tip of the iceberg’

For months, daring bands of thieves linked to South American gangs have been making off with piles of jewelry and cash from the homes of the biggest superstars in sports, targeting the likes of the NFL’s Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

https://apnews.com/article/mahomes-kelce-burrow-doncic-home-break-ins-b0b86ccc340872da2612f9714d497d41?

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Massachusetts top court rules Karen Read can be retried in her boyfriend’s death

BOSTON (AP) — The state’s top court ruled Tuesday that Karen Read can be retried on all the same charges in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, the latest twist in the long-running case that transfixed true crime fans nationwide.

https://apnews.com/article/karen-read-boston-police-officer-murder-trial-be55c1082e4d0003ebb8cc09bafb0636?

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Salman Rushdie testifies about his shock and pain as an attacker repeatedly stabbed him on stage

MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — With a mix of humor and graphic detail, Salman Rushdie calmly told a jury Tuesday about the frenzied moments in August 2022 when a masked man rushed at him on a stage in western New York and repeatedly slashed him with a knife, leaving him with terrible injuries.

https://apnews.com/article/salman-rushdie-hadi-matar-stabbing-169c2e4672952d48499e66c8ce57bd01?

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Lawyers for Sonya Massey’s family say $10M settlement ‘first step;' await trial, legislative changes

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A $10 million settlement between county officials in Springfield, Illinois, and the family of Sonya Massey is the “first step in getting full justice” for the Black woman fatally shot in her home last summer by a sheriff’s deputy, lawyers said Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/sonya-massey-sangamon-county-illinois-shooting-911-efdac16cf86bb028e5c2da216fe2b950?

New Mexico jury convicts police officer in fatal shooting of Black man at gas station

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A police officer was found guilty Wednesday of voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a Black man during a 2022 confrontation at a New Mexico gas station.

https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-gas-station-police-shooting-a4ea86b48b4d734ae94d168cc4f1f02c?

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Homeowner pleads guilty to shooting Black teen Ralph Yarl who rang the wrong doorbell

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — An 86-year-old Kansas City man pleaded guilty Friday to a lesser charge in the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black honor student who rang the white man’s doorbell by mistake, in a case that shocked the country and renewed national debate about gun policies and race in the U.S.

https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-shooting-andrew-lester-missouri-c3ad936efab5feecc86f7928f730ec35?

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A Vermont border agent’s death was the latest violence linked to the cultlike Zizian group

A traffic stop in Vermont has cracked open a cultlike group who call themselves “Zizians." The group is linked to six deaths in three states. Officials have offered few details about their cross-country investigation, but police and court records, interviews and online postings point to a small group of young computer scientists portrayed as highly intelligent and increasingly violent. Read more.   New York police find body of missing man they say was tortured for more than a month by 5 people CANANDAIGUA, NY (AP) — New York State Police charged five people Friday with murder in the killing of a missing man who authorities said died following repeated acts of violence and torture for more than a month by multiple individuals who later discarded his body in a field. https://apnews.com/article/new-york-transgender-man-torture-74cc7632d43ec97f2985218f240c938c?

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Leader of cultlike Zizians linked to 6 killings ordered held without bail in Maryland

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) — The leader of a cultlike group connected to six killings in three states was ordered held without bail Tuesday in Maryland, where she faces trespassing and other charges.

https://apnews.com/article/zizians-killings-court-hearing-border-patrol-6ccc6df040f40c2f7d835f92c2b24a05?

Leonard Peltier leaves prison after Biden commuted his sentence in the killing of two FBI agents

SUMTERVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Native American activist Leonard Peltier was released from a Florida prison on Tuesday, weeks after then-President Joe Biden angered law enforcement officials by commuting his life sentence to home confinement in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.

https://apnews.com/article/leonard-peltier-release-fbi-killings-indigenous-rights-8b7da707f4921e974b53ede7d032cf23?

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⚖️ New numbers: Homicides fall

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

Preliminary data shows homicides in the nation's largest cities fell by 16% in 2024 from the previous year — and overall violent crime appears to have dropped, Axios' Russell Contreras writes. Why it matters: Stats compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) suggest the COVID-era crime wave all but evaporated during President Biden's final year in office. ? Zoom in: Violent crime, especially homicides, rose during Biden's first two years as president before dropping dramatically the next two years, the MCCA data show. An Axios analysis of the preliminary crime data for 2024 from 69 self-reporting large police departments found that violent crimes decreased overall by 6%. Keep reading.

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Seven Chilean men are charged with burglarizing the homes of Mahomes, Burrow and other star athletes

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Seven men from Chile have been charged in Florida federal court with orchestrating burglaries at the homes of prominent professional athletes around the country, according to a criminal complaint.

https://apnews.com/article/mahomes-kelce-burrow-athletes-burglaries-chilean-charges-3c8b707fa21edc5d31285d88d6d80253?

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Former Colorado sheriff’s deputy convicted of homicide in shooting death of man in crisis

DENVER (AP) — A former Colorado sheriff’s deputy was convicted of criminally negligent homicide Thursday in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man in distress who called 911 for help after his car got stuck in a small mountain community.

https://apnews.com/article/police-shooting-christian-glass-colorado-4b7204f98a8acd3626c3d7768576f20d?

A New Jersey man is convicted of attempted murder in the stabbing of Salman Rushdie

MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — A New Jersey man was convicted Friday of attempted murder for stabbing author Salman Rushdie multiple times on a New York lecture stage in 2022.

https://apnews.com/article/salman-rushdie-hadi-matar-chautauqua-institution-stabbing-72ba15c7665ea630a5273858476127f4?

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Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio arrested near Capitol on assault charge after press conference

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio was arrested Friday near the U.S. Capitol on a charge that he assaulted a woman protesting a gathering attended by Tarrio and others who received presidential pardons for crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in the nation’s capital.

https://apnews.com/article/proud-boys-leader-enrique-tarrio-arrested-a1b88e26b17e21193fbf92ad0e9a65e2?

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After 30 years in prison for murder, new DNA evidence frees Hawaii man who maintained innocence

HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii man who spent 30 years in prison for a murder he long denied committing declared the day “Freedom Friday” and said he was eager to visit his mother after a judge ordered him released because of new DNA evidence.

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-innocence-project-maui-murder-release-27c43beb9518b42dd0803189c939e485?

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LA district attorney opposes new trial for Menendez brothers, still deciding on resentencing

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles district attorney said Friday he opposes a new trial for Lyle and Erik Menendez in the 1989 killing of their parents but hasn’t made up his mind on whether to support a resentencing bid that could lead to their freedom after nearly 30 years in prison.

https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-sentencing-hochman-73ce4a49c3d1d9fe8905c213a47ef9fe?

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Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were dead for some time, warrant shows

Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were apparently dead for some time before a maintenance worker discovered their bodies at the couple’s Santa Fe home, according to investigators. Read More.

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What to know about Hollywood icon Gene Hackman’s and his wife’s deaths

Preliminary autopsy results ruled out carbon monoxide in the deaths of Oscar-winner Gene Hackman and his wife, New Mexico authorities said Friday, as investigators continued to pore over evidence found around the couple’s partially mummified bodies.

https://apnews.com/article/gene-hackman-death-things-to-know-daa7e41aca0bb85af3af5b1b358df22e?

Nurses’ stories recount terror of armed man’s attack at Pennsylvania hospital

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A nurse who survived an armed man’s attack on an intensive care unit in a Pennsylvania hospital said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that she was held against him as a shield at gunpoint, arms zip-tied behind her back, as they walked through a doorway and encountered a phalanx of responding police officers.

https://apnews.com/article/pennsylania-hospital-shooting-nurses-7fd7f7405bc5c8731484c2c862a843e9?

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Gene Hackman was likely dead for 9 days before he and his wife were found, sheriff says

Data from actor Gene Hackman’s pacemaker shows he was likely dead for nine days before he and his wife were found dead at their New Mexico home, authorities said.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/28/entertainment/what-we-know-gene-hackman-betsy-arakawa-hnk/index.html?

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Jury finds Illinois landlord guilty of murder, hate crime in 2023 attack on Palestinian American boy

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A jury found an Illinois landlord guilty of murder and hate crime charges Friday for the brutal killing of a 6-year-old whose mother rented rooms in the man’s home, an attack that spiked fears over anti-Muslim discrimination in the earliest days of the war in Gaza.

https://apnews.com/article/palestinian-family-attacked-illinois-hate-crime-trial-muslim-1834d58621cab37197407204b4104dd3?

Landlord Convicted in Hate Crime Stabbing of 6-Year-Old Palestinian American Boy

Joseph Czuba’s comments about Palestinians and Muslims took center stage at his trial for the murder of Wadee Alfayoumi.

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/28/illinois-palestinian-stabbing-convicted/?

Illinois man pleads guilty to murder and attempted murder in shooting at suburban Chicago July 4 parade

An Illinois man pleaded guilty Monday to killing seven people and injuring dozens more when he opened fire on a 2022 Independence Day parade in a Chicago suburb, a stunning development moments before opening statements in his trial on murder and attempted murder charges.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/03/us/illinois-july-fourth-parade-attack-trial/index.html?

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Owner of NYC day care where toddler fatally ingested fentanyl gets 45 years in prison

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman who owned a New York City day care center where a toddler died after ingesting fentanyl has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug charges.

https://apnews.com/article/day-care-fentanyl-death-new-york-bronx-d0c4d1d3e922ffd443f1cae7c9fe504d?

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Gene Hackman’s dog was misidentified as other mysteries swirl around actor’s death

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities misidentified a deceased dog while investigating the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, according to a pet care specialist.

https://apnews.com/article/gene-hackman-died-dogs-santa-fe-22d7f6921577f012c87027de8652795d?

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New Mexico officials release key details about the deaths of Gene Hackman and wife. Here's what we know

Officials in Santa Fe, New Mexico, released key details today about the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The pair were found dead along with one of their dogs at their secluded, mountaintop home last month, sparking a whirlwind of speculation about the circumstances.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/investigation-update-gene-hackman-death-03-07-25/index.html?

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Pedestrian deaths decline

Data: Governors Highway Safety Association; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals Drivers killed an estimated 3,304 pedestrians in the first half of last year, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association. That's a slight improvement — about 2.6% — from the same period the year before. But pedestrian deaths are still near record highs — up 12% compared to 2019, and 48% over 2014 figures. ? Zoom in: A large number of pedestrian fatalities happen at night, and on roads with high speed limits. A lack of sidewalks, crosswalks and measures to slow down cars also contribute. ?By the numbers: The three most populous states — California, Texas and Florida — accounted for 35% of all pedestrian deaths in the first half of last year. All three, however, improved from the year before. Cities worldwide are trying to reduce pedestrian deaths though "Vision Zero" programs, lower speed limits, "traffic calming" road design and more, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes. Go deeper.

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A car pulled from a river may tell what happened to an Oregon family of 5 that went missing in 1958

After two days of dredging, a crane on Friday pulled from the Columbia River a Ford station wagon that officials believe belonged to an Oregon family who disappeared while on a trip 66 years ago to find Christmas greenery.

https://apnews.com/article/missing-oregon-family-car-found-f836881364b67c816c8883766a75c8c5?