ByWTOC Staff|January 19, 2021 at 12:18 PM EST - Updated January 19 at 12:18 PM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The city of Savannah saw an increase in homicides last year. Early numbers show a 33-percent rise in 2020, according to Mayor Van Johnson.
The mayor says the exact number of homicides could change depending on the adjudication process. He outlined the following trends for violent crimes.
- Altercations being resolved with weapons.
- Buying and selling drugs
- Gun-related incidents
- And people who are currently awaiting trial and are now victims of retaliation.
“It amazes me to talk to someone who’s been a victim of gun violence, and they’ll tell me they don’t know who shot them, or they know who shot them and they don’t want to tell. Which is the indicator that they prefer to handle it themselves, and they want to handle it in the streets. And that is an indication to officers that something else is going to happen,” Mayor Johnson said on Tuesday during his weekly news conference.
As a reminder, citizens can report crimes anonymously by calling the Savannah Police Department’s Crime tip line at 912-525-3124.
Rewatch Mayor Johnson’s news conference:
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