Los Angeles Police Report Spike in Homicides This Month
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Los Angeles saw a spike in homicides in the first week of June, authorities announced Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said that homicides were up 250 percent compared to the previous week and the number of gunshot victims rose 56 percent from May 31 to June 6.
Police said there have also been four shootings in the last 24 hours, including one that resulted in a death, The Hill reported.
The LAPD did not say if the rise was related to eased social distancing restrictions due to the coronavirus, though the increase does follow a dip in crime after businesses were shuttered and people were encouraged to remain indoors.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in April that crime in Los Angeles had dropped 23 percent in the immediate aftermath of the city’s stay-at-home order taking effect, compared to the same time period in 2019.
“People staying at home in their neighborhoods, watching out for each other and exercising social distancing is allowing us to have a safer city,” Moore said at the time.
Los Angeles is under a safer-at-home order, which “calls on Angelenos to stay in their residences and limit all activities outside their homes beyond what is absolutely necessary for essential tasks.”
The city has seen a rise in new coronavirus cases since restrictions were eased. The city has had more than 65,000 confirmed cases since the outbreak began, and more than 2,700 people have died in the city, according to official data.
