FILE - Crime scene tape that was left behind at the scene of a homicide clings to a fence post in Baltimore, Dec. 21, 2017 photo.
FBI: Baltimore Homicide Rate Topped US Big Cities in 2017
BALTIMORE —
FBI crime statistics place Baltimore's homicide rate above that of any other U.S. city with a population over 500,000.
Citing crime data released Monday, The Baltimore Sun reports that the 342 homicides in the city last year yielded a homicide rate of 56 per 100,000 people.
Among big U.S. cities, Baltimore was followed by Detroit, which recorded a homicide rate of 40 per 100,000 people; Memphis, Tennessee, with a rate of 28 per 100,000 and Chicago, with a rate of 24 per 100,000.
FILE - Joseph Saunders carries a cross at a protest July 7, 2018, in Chicago. The protesters were attempting to increase pressure on public officials to address the gun violence that's claimed hundreds of lives in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods.
But some smaller cities reported a higher homicide rates. St. Louis has a population of slightly over 300,000 and registered a homicide rate of 66 per 100,000.
So far this year, Baltimore says homicides are down 16 percent from last year.
