Baltimore Hits Grim Milestone of Year's 200th Homicide

BALTIMORE (AP) — Eight months into the year, Baltimore’s homicide count has hit 200.

August’s 11th slaying, the fatal shooting of a man Monday, pushed the city’s homicide total to 200 – a dramatic rise from 2014, when the city saw 211 killings for the year. This grim milestone comes on the heels of another: with 45 homicides in July, Baltimore saw its bloodiest month since 1972.

Killings began to spike dramatically in May, with 42 in a single month. There was a brief dip in June, with 29, then another rise in July. The uptick comes after rioting in the spring over the death of Freddie Gray, the black man critically injured in police custody.

The rise has prompted interim Police Commissioner Kevin Davis to form a task force with 10 federal agents imbedded with homicide detectives.