St. Louis Is America's Most Dangerous City: FBI

ST. LOUIS, MO — Violent crime is up in St. Louis, according to newly-released data from the FBI, with the city topping the federal law enforcement agency's list of the most dangerous cities in America. Detroit was number two, followed by Baltimore, Memphis and Kansas City.

There were 6,461 violent crimes reported just within St. Louis city limits in 2017, according to the FBI, including 205 murders, 289 rapes, 1,944 robberies and 4,023 aggravated assaults. During the same period, 18,745 property crimes were reported, including 3,138 burglaries, 12,894 thefts and 2,713 vehicle thefts.

The number of violent crimes reported increased by more than 7 percent from the previous year, despite the city's population declining slightly. The Post-Dispatch reports that trend has been evident for at least the last five years, and that the biggest upticks in violent crime have been focused in three south city neighborhoods: St. Louis Hills, Southwest Garden and Holly Hills.

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Last year, St. Louis cracked its 21-year murder record with 205 killings across the city. Three-quarters of those deaths were caused by firearms.

Federal gun prosecutions have more than doubled since last year as part of the city's effort to reduce an epidemic of gun violence. Police cite illegal firearms as one of the primary drivers of violence in St. Louis, with guns turning simple arguments deadly at a moment's notice.

More than 30,000 Americans are killed by guns every year and twice that number are injured, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 13,000 are murdered. The rest take their own lives or are victims of accidents. Almost half are children or young adults.

Missouri's gun death rate is almost double the national average, the CDC says.

In 2007, Missouri lawmakers repealed a law that allowed for longer, more comprehensive background checks. Cassandra Kercher Crifasi, a researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said the repeal led to a spike in murders and 70 percent more guns making their way to criminals across the state.

Per capita, St. Louis ranks third for homicides in the United States and first for non-fatal shootings, according to data from the FBI and Major Cities Chiefs Association. So far this year, the city has seen 128 murders, with 6 (almost 5 percent) coming in just a 24 hour period this past Sunday when half a dozen people were found murdered in their cars across the north city.

“Going into Friday afternoon, we were 25 homicides down compared to last year, so we were trending in the right direction,” Police Chief John Hayden said at a press conference Monday afternoon, according to reporting from the Post-Dispatch. Now the city is only 19 homicides short of where it was last year.

Another man was shot Monday afternoon in north St. Louis — his condition is unclear — while a man shot early Tuesday morning on Washington Avenue is expected to survive.

Hayden doesn't believe the shootings were random, though he said they probably weren't related, adding that drugs may have been involved. He said so many murders so close together tax the department's resources, and asked for public help in solving the murders.

Anyone with information should contact St. Louis Regional CrimeStoppers toll free at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477). All callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward. Tips can also be submitted through the CrimeStoppers website or free app.

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