Philly Hits 300 Homicides
Tom MacDonald, WHYY, July 19, 2022
Philadelphia has reached a grim milestone, and could surpass the homicide toll of 2021 if things continue.
The city’s 300th homicide victim is an 18-year-old shot in West Philadelphia. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner admitted seeing the death toll hit 300 was “frustrating.”
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Krasner admits city residents are upset with the climbing homicide rate, which could exceed last year’s grim record of 562 killings.
“I do understand why people who are frightened and people who are concerned about their public safety rightly are frustrated with city leaders. But having said that, I don’t think it’s fair to say that our police commissioner is doing nothing. I think our police commissioner is doing a lot, and I think our police commissioner is doing a lot with our office after she came up with some ideas and we came up with some ideas, and we will continue to do that.”
At this time last year, the homicide number was at 304 killings. This year’s death rate is just 1% below 2021’s record setting pace.
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