Chicago sees homicide spike in August amid ‘difficult days’ for police department
The city also saw 20-yegar lows in burglaries and robberies in August, police officials said
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Chicago saw a significant jump in homicides in August compared to the same time frame last year, highlighting the "difficult days" the police department faced in a month that saw one of their own violently killed.
The Chicago Police Department said Wednesday that the city experienced 78 murders last month, a 22% increase compared to August 2020.
In total, murders have increased 3% across the city compared to last year, the department said.
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"We deeply understand how important it is for our residents to feel safe within our neighborhoods across the city," police Superintendent David Brown said in a statement.
The worrying figures came weeks after Chicago police officer Ella French was gunned down during a traffic stop. She was shot in the head and her partner, Carlos Yanez Jr., is recovering from his injuries.
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Two brothers are charged in connection to the killing. Eric Morgan, 22, is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and obstruction of justice. A third police officer shot him as he ran from the scene, police said.
Monty Morgan, 21, is charged with first-degree murder of a peace officer, attempted murder of two other officers, unlawful use of a weapon, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
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In his statement, Brown said the department was "re-tooling" its crime-fighting strategies to combat the spike in violence.
Despite the uptick in murders, the city saw 20-year record lows in burglaries and robberies in August. Eight districts also saw 20-year lows in car thefts, police said.