SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Springfield has reached a record number of homicides with another month still left to go in 2020.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that police recently determined a fatal shooting from this summer meets the FBI definition of a murder. That means there have been at least 17 criminal homicides in the city this year.
Springfield reached 16 homicides in a year three times in the past – 2012, 2014 and 2018.
This year’s homicide total could go up as detectives continue to evaluate four more violent deaths in Springfield to determine the appropriate classification. Springfield’s spike in homicides this year mirrors a national trend.
Data compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association show that the number of homicides across the country increased by more than 28 percent in the first nine months of 2020.
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