Atlanta averaging murder every other day in 2017

ATLANTA — Atlanta’s deputy police chief says he’s concerned about an upward trend in murders across the city.

So far this year, there have been six homicides in the city of Atlanta. That’s three times the amount the city had at this time last year.

“We're concerned about the trend, anytime you have homicides, you’re concerned. But this time last year, we had two,” APD Deputy Chief Darryl Tolleson said.

By the end of January 2016, there were just eight homicides in the city.

Tolleson said four additional detective slots have just been added to the APD homicide unit.

Last year, Atlanta had a total of 111 homicides.

“(That was the first time) since 2008 that we’ve been over 100,” he said.

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Tolleson says authorities took out charges in 71 percent of Atlanta homicides last year, but preventing murder is another matter altogether.

“Our concern is always about the shootings because the shootings is what's going to drive your homicides,” he said. “We're taking shootings so seriously this year that we've created actually a new unit to handle gun crime.”

Of this year’s six homicides, four of them were shootings, one was a blunt-force trauma and the other was a stabbing.

Tolleson says APD is focused on reducing shootings through patrol strategies but also other moves, including a new combined gun crime and gang unit.

Tolleson says violent crime is spiking nationwide.

“It’s not just an Atlanta concern,” he said.

He says bottom line, the city is not out of control. He says APD believes some homicide shooters may be repeat offenders who’ve shot people before, but weren’t arrested or got out of jail.

A new ballistics strategy with the city crime lab is also underway.

Cox Media Group