America's Shooting Epidemic

The murder rate is on the rise, gun deaths in America are at an all time high, and cities like Chicago and Baltimore are facing huge criticisms on policing tactics.

Is the shooting epidemic across America's cities a policing issue, policy issue, or cultural issue? This question is up for debate. What we do know is that it is imperative that the public know about and have access to this kind of crime data and information. 

There is no federal repository for nationwide shooting data, so what does shooting data look like on a map?

Check out SpotCrime. We’re the only major crime map to break out shooting as it’s own icon.

Shootings in Chicago

Chicago shootings Aug 12 - Sept 12, 2016

Rightfully so, Chicago is constantly under fire (no pun intended) for the large amount of shootings the city experiences daily. Chicago saw 65 shootings Labor Day weekend alone. The chief recently attributed it to a cultural issue rather than a policing issue.

Shootings in Baltimore

Baltimore shootings Aug 12 - Sept 12, 2016

The DOJ published their investigation into the Baltimore Police Department after the death of Freddie Gray. The homicide rate has been highest since the 90’s. Gun violence is a major player in these stats.

Shootings in New Orleans

New Orleans shootings Aug 12 - Sept 12, 2016

New Orleans has seen the lowest murder rate it’s had in years, but still has a murder rate that's almost four times the average for a city its size. With those kind of stats and the shootings spilling over into the popular Bourbon street, it’s no wonder gun violence is a constant topic of discussion. New Orleans police department does deserve credit for openly identifying shootings in their data feed.

Shell Shocked from Shell Shocked on Vimeo.

Shootings in Chattanooga

Chattanooga shootings Aug 12 - Sept 12, 2016

Smaller cities are not immune to gun violence. Chattanooga, TN has a population under 250k and saw 35 people die in vehicle-related incidents during 2015, while 23 of the city's 30 homicide victims died from gunshots.

So, what’s the answer? 

Gun control? More police on the streets? Different policing standards? 

Again - what we do know is that it is imperative that the public know about and have access to this kind of crime data and information.

You can view shootings on SpotCrime in cities across the nation as long as the local police department is providing crime data and identifying shootings (not hiding them under something like 'aggravated assault'). Navigate to a city page map on SpotCrime and select the shooting and a date range and hit ‘refresh map’. Make sure you’re signed in to your SpotCrime account first. 

Don't see shooting data? Let us know and let your police department know you'd like to see them provide an open crime data feed that clearly identifies shootings.