Baltimore police reported four deaths in the final week of January, bringing to 26 the 2014 homicide tally, the bloodiest start to a year since 2007 when 28 killings occurred in January.
The most lethal day was Jan. 30 when police, dispatched at 9:40 a.m. to the 1500 block of Cole Street, found a man and a woman inside a vehicle shot to death.
Later that day, homicide detectives were directed to the 4100 block of Walrad Street in Southwest Baltimore where an unidentified man was found shortly before 7 p.m.with multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
Around 7:30 a.m. Friday morning homicide detectives were dispatched to the 400 block of S. Ellwood Ave.
“Officers found a 51-year old woman deceased inside of a home,” said police.
Though few arrests have been made in the killings there was a victory in the double homicide that occurred on Jan. 29.
Police said Avery Little, 20, was arrested for the Jan. 29 double shooting in the 5200 block of Denmore Avenue.
Despite the uptick in homicides, Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts said in a Twitter Town Hall Jan. 30 that several different categories of crime are down.
Batts said that robberies declined 14 percent, rapes fell seven percent, aggravated assaults are down 39 percent, and larceny dropped 18 percent.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” he said, after detailing how violent crime and property crime has continuously fallen since the 1990s.
According to Batts, violent crime went from 17,942 cases in 1990 to 8,789 in 2012. For property crimes, the number has fallen from 60,047 in 1990 to 29,149 in 2012.
