U.S. homicide rates skyrocket in 2020; exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic
At the end of 2020, police in the city of Chicago reported more than 750 murders, a jump of more than 50% compared with 2019. In December 2020, Los Angeles reported a 30% increase over the previous year with 322 homicides. In New York City, the city reported 437 homicides by Dec. 20, nearly 40% more than the previous year.
Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York has told reporters that the rise was related, in part, to the coronavirus pandemic and "to the fact that people are cooped up."