New Orleans crime outpacing 2019

Violent crime is on the rise in New Orleans, with shootings and murders grabbing attention from crime watchdogs.

Raphael Goyeneche with the Metro Crime Commission says they have recorded a 47 percent increase in shootings for the year, and a 190 percent increase this July versus last July.  He says homicides are up, too.

"There were 72 in 2019 and we're looking at 95 so far through yesterday in the city of New Orleans," Goyeneche told WWL's Newell Normand. That's a 32 percent increase for the first seven months of this year compared to all of last year.

Local crime blogger Jeff Asher says a homicide this morning in the CBD put New Orleans well ahead of last year's pace. He also notes that 2019 was an unusually low year, and the numbers for this year are more in line with recent years.

This morning's murder was the 100th murder in New Orleans in 2020 by my (unofficial) count.The 100th murder came on Nov 25 last year but last year was a historically low year.The 4 prior years the 100th murder occurred on 7/11/15, 8/15/16, 7/14/17 and 8/10/18.

— Jeff Asher (@Crimealytics) July 28, 2020  

Darlene Cusanza with CrimeStoppers says the NOPD is trying to determine why shootings, murders and carjacking have seen huge increases.

"They're as perplexed as we are," she told WWL-TV. "Here we are in the COVID situation, and certainly, it seems like as people were able to get back out, these crimes are occurring."