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Baltimore Had Less Than 300 Homicides From 2000 To 2014. It Hit 300 In 2018 Alone

Baltimore Had Less Than 300 Homicides From 2000 To 2014. It Hit 300 In 2018 Alone

Written by Ann Brown

Jan 03, 2019

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In late December, a 30-year-old man was fatally shot in the face and upper body, He became to 300th murder victim in Baltimore. Why is this stunning? For some 14 years, from 2000 to 2014 Baltimore had fewer the 300 homicide. Now for four years straight the city has reached 300 homicides annually.

One of the reasons for the spike in violence say experts is the Freddie Gray riots. “The number of murders surged in 2015 to 342…represented the highest number of murders in the U.S. per capita,” reported CBS News.


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In 2015, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man, died while in police custody. He died of a spinal cord injury. When no one was punished for his death, the streets erupted and a riot ensued. But tensions were high as soon as his death was announced. Gray’s injury occurred on April 12. After being arrested, Gray had his hands and feet shackled but was not secured by a seatbelt, meaning he was tossed around in the back of the police van while it moved. According to an autopsy report, obtained by the Baltimore Sun’s Justin Fenton, Gray was probably injured when the van suddenly decelerated. He died on April 19.

Baltimore
AP10ThingsToSee – In front of blighted buildings, a protester leads marchers in a chant from atop a vehicle in Baltimore on Saturday, May 2, 2015, a day after charges were announced against the police officers involved in Freddie Gray’s death. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

 

“The protests came about almost immediately following Gray’s death, as demonstrators marched to demand answers for what happened to the 25-year-old and to protest police brutality, of which Baltimore has a troubling history,” Vox reported.

Riots broke out on April 27 following Gray’s funeral. And finally on May 1, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby “announced criminal charges, including second-degree murder and manslaughter, against the six officers involved in Gray’s arrest.” None of the charges stuck.

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