Atlanta crime statistics show increase in murders compared to 2019

ATLANTA - With about a month left in the year, Atlanta has already surpassed the number of murders compared to 2019.

So far, there have been 130 murders in the city compated to 99 homicides last year. In 2018 and 2017, the totals were in the 80s.

The latest murder happened Tuesday morning in northwest Atlanta. A man was found dead on Tiger Flowers Drive, but police believe he was shot somewhere else and brought there.

"They found what appears to be a 20-year-old male. He was dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the back of the neck," said Lt. Pete Malecki, homicide commander with the Atlanta Police Department.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms addressed the rise in violent crime in October.

"We are seeing numbers we have not seen in Atlanta as it relates to our murder rate. So, we recognize this is a problem," she said.

According to the APD, the rise in murders is, unfortunately, a trend that isn't unique to just Atlanta.

"It's not something we specifically see here in Atlanta but as we talk to our partners. We're seeing this trend across the country. What we need to do is really have those conversations with our citizens so that they understand exactly what's going on and we can get them to change their mindset," said Deputy Chief Timothy Peek.

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