WASHINGTON —聽As the number of D.C. homicides ticks higher and discontent among聽residents spreads,聽Mayor Muriel Bowser is facing聽pressure to do something about it.
Now, challenged with a perception that the聽nation’s capital聽is dangerous, Bowser is contending that the city is safe.
“This city is among the safest cities anywhere in the United States,鈥� . 鈥淎nd while we鈥檙e experiencing a spike in crime, overall our crime statistics are flat.”
., leaving at least one person dead and bringing this year’s聽homicide tally聽to 95 deaths.
Homicides for this year are up 30 percent compared to the same eight-month period in 2014聽according to police data.
Meanwhile, residents鈥� long-brewing frustrations with what they felt was a lack of police presence came聽to a head after聽, in the Shaw neighborhood. that their complaints about drug dealing and other problems had gone unanswered.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier said Shlonksy was walking with friends when he got caught in the crossfire.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 believe in this time he was the target of that shooting,鈥澛燣anier said.
No arrests have been made.
Bowser’s comments, that the city was “safe,” were made in response to the shooting in Shaw.聽聽She told 91欧美激情 that the police force was doing everything it could.
“We’re working very hard to get ahead of any problems in all neighborhoods,鈥� Bowser said.聽鈥淭he police have been very active in terms of deployment, but also in terms of investigations, and are going to hold people who mean harm to any resident accountable.”
According to police data, overall crime has increased by only 4 percent in D.C. The data provided by police compares crimes reported between Aug. 18, 2013, and Aug. 18, 2014, to those reported between Aug. 18, 2014, and Aug. 18, 2015.
The crime figures were similar for homicides. There were 119 homicides reported in within that 2013-14 timeframe. There were 124 homicides reported in the 2014-15 timeframe.
But 聽the data — and Bowser’s comments — may offer cold comfort to communities rocked by recent gun violence. 聽Asked if the city was reverting to an era akin to the 1980s, an era plagued by murders and gun violence, Bowser said, 鈥淣o.鈥�
“We’re not headed in that direction,鈥� Bowser said. 鈥淭his city is a very different city from those days. I lived here. I lived through it. It doesn鈥檛 feel like it and it’s not like it. But, at the same time any homicide, any shooting, any robbery is too much in our city.鈥�
91欧美激情’s Kristi King, Mike Murillo, Andrew Mollenbeck, and Dick Uliano contributed to this report
