This is probably not the sort of the honor the Windy City will be touting. According to the FBI, and thanks to over 500 homicides last year, Chicago is the new Murder Capital of the United States, bumping New York City from the number one spot.
Reports Yahoo News:
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.
In 2011, there were 515 homicides in the Big Apple, compared with the 431 in Chicago.
But as the Washington Post noted, residents of Chicago and New York were much less likely to be victims of a homicide than some Michigan residents. 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.
Sadly, these numbers will likely be even high next year considering the bullet ridden Chicago summer.
Check out the list of the top 10 cities with the most murders below. Check out images from Chi-town crime scenes in the gallery.
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
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Photos: Chicago Tribune
