Florida crime dropped, murder rose in first 6 months of 2020
Police tape lines a crime scene after a shooting at a backyard party on September 19, 2020, Rochester, New York. (Photo by Joshua Rashaad McFadden/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE - Florida’s overall crime rate went down over the first six months of 2020, but murders spiked over the same period the year before, according to statistics released by the state’s top law enforcement agency.
Overall, crime dropped 11.7%, but murders rose from 512 to 595, or 16.2%, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Murders by guns rose by an even higher percentage. There were 379 murdered committed with a firearm in the first six months of 2019, compared to 466 in 2020. That’s an increase of 23%.
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Reported rapes declined by 9.5%, from 4224 in the first half of 2019 to 3,821 during the same period in 2020.
Robberies, burglaries and larcenies also declined, while there were increases in motor vehicle thefts and aggravated assaults.