ATLANTA — Crime data analyzed by 11Alive's investigative team shows the city's homicide rate has increased over the last three years.
Atlanta's total number of reported homicides jumped 60% from 2019 to 2020 -- then again just slightly last year. In 2022, the city is outpacing last year's numbers.
So far, at least 88 total homicides have been recorded, according to Atlanta Police Department's open data portal.
The city also just ranked 10th highest for its homicide rate increase in a Wallet Hub analysis looking at data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Local Crime Statistics.
WHAT WE KNOW
The latest homicide incident was reported between July 23 and the 24th. Atlanta Police officers responded to 183 Mount Zion Rd, around 8:15 p.m. and found a 17-year-old male with a gunshot wound, according to a press release.
"The victim was taken to the hospital but died of his wounds. The preliminary investigation indicates that the shooting stemmed from a dispute that escalated to gunfire. The investigation is continuing," it says.
The teen's death was part of a violent weekend of gun violence that Atlanta experienced. At least 15 people were shot, including eight in a singular drive-by shooting event at a Shell gas station near the Diamond Club off Northside Drive.
The 17-year-old's homicide marks the 88th incident this year handled by the Atlanta Police Department. That's about a 4% increase, from what was reported this time last year.
Overall, the data shows Atlanta's homicide numbers have been consistently rising since 2019, just before the coronavirus pandemic.
WHERE THEY'RE HAPPENING
The investigative team looked deeper into the reported incidents and mapped out their locations, which were included on APD's portal.
There were a total of 159 total homicide incidents in 2021, according to the law enforcement's database.
The top neighborhoods in 2021 with five or more incidents were:
1. Old Fourth Ward (9)
2. Downtown (8)
3. West End (6)
4. Adamsville (5)
5. Lindbergh / Morosgo (5)
6. Mechanicsville (5)
7. Oakland City (5)
8. Sylvan Hills (5)
So far, downtown has had the most reported homicide incidents in 2022. This area has had 12 out of 88 total incidents, as of July 24.
The first homicide reported in this neighborhood took place on Jan. 15 at 100 Pine St. NE.
That's about a three-minute walk from Emory University Hospital Midtown.
"On Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, at approximately 1:53 a.m., officers responded to 100 Pine St NE in reference to a person shot. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male victim with an apparent gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased on scene. Homicide Detectives are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident as the investigation continues," an APD release on the incident says.
11Alive took the homicide data from 2021 and 2022 and mapped it out. The locations in blue are from last year while the markers in red are from 2022.