“The COVID-19 pandemic has made matters worse for women and other victims who are in volatile and abusive relationships.”. 93 for 2019. Piper said the incident undermined law enforcement by damaging public trust in police departments. Six members of a military family were found dead on Thursday at a home in San Antonio, Texas, in what appeared to be a murder-suicide. By the end of 2017, homicides had decreased 16 percent — though the year-end total was still the city’s second-highest since 1995. Homicide Unit 210.207.7635 Traffic Investigation Detail 210.207.7385 HOURS OF OPERATION. Jan. 26: San Angelo sees first homicide of 2020 as police investigate fatal stabbing at Stripes. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. We can’t say a whole lot about this in a credible way,” Taylor said. In another, police say a 37-year-old woman killed her two children and her mother. Police Chief William McManus said no single factor could explain the uptick, but that family violence appears to play a significant role. SAPD has not commented on the spike in cases, but San Antonio psychiatrist Dr. Harry Croft provided reasons for heightened violence. Around that time, then-Mayor Ivy Taylor established a police-community relations council. That compares to 105 in 2019. San Antonio homicides decreased again in 2018 and 2019. In response to the 2016 homicide surge, McManus created a task force to go after repeat violent offenders — rather than simply focus on geographic hot spots, as the department had in the past. The latest number is nearly a third less than the 2016 toll of 149 murders in San Antonio, which represented an unusual spike. Criminologists say many of those elements likely have contributed to the recent upsurge. A post shared by The Wall Street Journal (@wsj) on Aug 4, 2020 at 7:19am PDT. About 24 homicides — more than a third of the city’s total through June — resulted from family violence, police say. Emilie Eaton is a criminal justice enterprise reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, delving into homicides, police-community relations, officer-involved shootings, capital punishment and officer misconduct. This year, the city received grant funding for a team of police, prosecutors and advocates who work together to help victims deemed at high risk of being killed by spouses or partners. But the Texas Department of Public Safety troopers who served on the task force have been transferred to other duties, he said. With 71 homicides in the first six months of 2020, San Antonio is on track to have one of its deadliest years in nearly three decades, a San Antonio Express-News analysis found. We don’t have any left now.”. Homicide Unit is open 7 days a week from 7:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Traffic Investigation Detail is open 7 days a week from 7:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Night Traffic Investigation Detail offers extended coverage within the hours of 7:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m. SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is investing its first two murders of 2020 simultaneously Tuesday. Homicides spike in San Antonio, putting the city on track to have one of its deadliest years in decades. (Screenshot: Bexar County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook) Her accused murderer Rafael Castillo, 31, was arrested and brought in custody Wednesday evening. So far, in 2020, the San Antonio Police Department has investigated 124 homicides, the department said. On ExpressNews.com: Family violence calls increase 18 percent as coronavirus stay-at-home orders issued. 14. The increase comes amid a national debate over policing sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, in police custody in Minneapolis in May. But researchers, police and some residents fear the homicide spike, if not tamed, could threaten an urban renaissance spurred in part by more than two decades of declining crime. Details are restricted presently; nonetheless, officers stated there may be at … “It’s about the community questioning police legitimacy based on what they have experienced, what they have seen, and how they have witnessed police officers kill unarmed individuals. She added: “As a result, police began cutting back services and stopped proactively policing.”. Researchers who study crime long have debated why homicide rates rise and fall. A family of six, including four small children ages 11 months to 4-years, were found dead at their home in San Antonio, Texas.Police say it does not look like an accident. Ever since the team was created in 2017, the number of domestic violence homicides per year has either declined or held steady. In 2019, there were 105 murders in the city. From January–June 2020, there were 71 homicides according to the San Antonio Police Department. The number of homicides in San Antonio is decreasing slightly in recent years. Her work has been honored in the Hearst National Journalism Awards and the Society of Professional Journalist's Region 11 Awards, among others. He said that this year, many fatal incidents of family violence have claimed multiple victims. “Little by little, they got whittled away for a variety of reasons. Her skills include content management, engagement and reporting. In 2015, she was one of 30 students, out of 1,150 nationally, selected to participate in the Hearst 55th Annual National Journalism Awards Championship. The decline was interrupted in 2016, when police reported 149 homicides, making it the city’s deadliest year since 1995. In one such case, a 19-year-old allegedly killed his mother and sister. By comparison, San Antonio police recorded 24 family violence fatalities in all of 2019. Only reports of rape went down. At least 32 people died from domestic violence in Bexar County in 2018 — killed by boyfriends, spouses, ex-lovers or other members of their families or households, according to Express-News data. On ExpressNews.com: Activists slam proposed boost in San Antonio police budget. Homicide Unit is open 7 days a week from 7:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Traffic Investigation Detail is open 7 days a week from 7:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Night Traffic Investigation Detail offers extended coverage within the hours of 7:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m. 2010-2018 Corpus Christi averaged- 19.4 murders 2019- Had 33 murders, highest in the city in a long time possibly ever. Hopefully, we will move the needle in another direction.”. This city has seen a 33.96% increase in killings in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the San Antonio Police Department’s uniform crime report. Rates of violent crime in San Antonio have generally declined since the 1980s and early 1990s, when the city was dubbed the nation’s “Drive-By Shooting Capital.”. REACHING THE HOMICIDE UNIT. “We initially had around 45 troopers that worked with us on the task force,” McManus said. San Antonio Police Department’s uniform crime report. From January–June 2020, there were 71 homicides according to the San Antonio Police Department. That was a 74 percent increase compared with 2014. In 2019, San Antonio police reported the lowest annual homicide tally since 2015, records show. ⠀ ⠀ The murder rate is still low compared with previous decades, and other types of serious crime have dropped in the past few months. Most recent year with more homicides: 34 44* 29.4%: 2016, with 47 *The story linked to reports 43 homicides for 2020, but there was one more on December 31. The number of homicides in San Antonio is decreasing slightly in recent years. 1 and Fort Worth at No. That's down from 107 in 2018 and 125 in 2017. Abbott appointees cut ties with power reliability team before... Lawsuits already being filed against ERCOT over power outages, H-E-B buys land along I-10, possibly for new store, Photos: George Strait slashes price on Dominion hilltop castle, Location had a key role in San Antonio's blackouts, Live Updates: Mayor reports CPS suspending auto pay for bills, Activists slam proposed boost in San Antonio police budget, Homicides in S.A. fall for third straight year, Family violence calls increase 18 percent as coronavirus stay-at-home orders issued, Mayor, philanthropist launch winter storm recovery funds. 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