Minneapolis nears record homicide count for 2021

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis this year recorded the highest number of homicides in over 20 years amid a nationwide spike in violent crime.

The city has reported 96 homicides this year — just one shy of a record set in 1995, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Homicides this year doubled from the count in 2019 as the city’s most diverse and low-income neighborhoods saw the bulk of the violence.

Criminologists, such as James Alan Fox, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston, attribute the recent nationwide violent crime to a confluence of factors, including the coronavirus pandemic, as well as conflicts over politics and race.

Before June 2020, Minneapolis had seen a prolonged low in violent crime, with homicides generally trending downward since the late 1990s.

Shooting and armed carjacking are also on the rise. More than 600 people have been treated for gunshot wounds in Minneapolis hospitals, according to data published by the Minneapolis Police Department.

Minneapolis police did not respond to an interview request from the Minneapolis Star Tribune or a series of questions.