As we’re all learning about the 13 that were wounded in a mass shooting at a basketball court in Chicago last night, the FBI is confirming that the city is now the murder capital of the nation.
That spot previously belonged to New York, according to statistics compiled by the FBI. In 2011, there were 515 homicides in the Big Apple, compared to 431 in Chicago.
According to new crime statistics released this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Chicago had more homicides in 2012 than any other city in the country. There were 500 murders in Chicago last year, the FBI said, surpassing New York City, which had 419.
Another shocking statistic? Almost 70 percent of those slayings involved a firearm. But despite those large numbers, residents in Chicago and New York were still less likely to be victims of a homicide than some Michigan residents. How?
In Flint, for example, there were 63 killings — a staggering number when you consider Flint’s population is 101,632 — “meaning 1 in every 1,613 city residents were homicide victims.” In Detroit, where 386 killings occurred in 2012, 1 in 1,832 were homicide victims.
Check out this list of the cities with the most homicides in 2012.
1. Chicago | 500
2. New York | 419
3. Detroit | 386
4. Philadelphia | 331
5. Los Angeles | 299
6. Baltimore | 219
7. Houston | 217
8. New Orleans | 193
9. Dallas | 154
10. Memphis | 133
11. Oakland | 126
12. Phoenix | 124
13. St. Louis | 113
14. Kansas City | 105
15. Indianapolis | 101
SOURCE: Yahoo, FBI | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
