Houston will surpass 400 murders by year’s end
Houston TX December 10 2020 With about three weeks left in 2020, Houston police officials expect to surpass 400 murders by year’s end with the addition of at least two dozen more deaths.
Chief Art Acevedo made the prediction Tuesday — pointing to a possible total of 407 as his projection — following a review of recent crime statistics for the city, which for months has been plagued by pandemic and mounting violent crime. Earlier this year, the number of deaths in Houston reached the highest point in more than a decade.
“Just do the math,” the chief said during a news conference on the rise in road rage shootings. “Look at how we’ve been averaging and how many days are left in the year.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, police said they believe there have been at least 380 murders — an unofficial tally that has fluctuated since last week as homicide investigators parse out what is murder or self-defense. Officials removed at least one recent death from their list because the shooting victim turned out to be the suspect in the case.
The chief also attributed 200 shootings — six of which have resulted in deaths — in Houston to road rage incidents.
Violent crime began creeping up in the city during the first half of the year, with authorities blaming the pandemic for pushing would-be perpetrators to the brink. The chief now said he believes that crimes of that nature — other than murder — are finally declining.
”We’re seeing the right trend for other violent crimes,” he continued.
Murder, he said, is “the most difficult crime to prevent.”
”We’re not inside people’s homes. We’re not inside playing cards at illegal card games,” Acevedo said.
One recent killing happened Sunday night outside a north Houston tattoo parlor. Officers found a fatally shot man in a vehicle following what may have been a fight among three people in the parking lot. Another happened Thursday in front of an illegal gambling site at 7026 Lawndale Street, where a security guard was shot and killed during a possible robbery attempt.
The year’s deadliest day in Houston happened Nov. 9 with the six deaths of Rene Cantu, 34; Julio Barreno Vasquez, 23; Francisco Ortega, 69; Dietrich Hawkins, 28; Danielle Bradley, 39; and police Sgt. Sean Rios, 47.
