Prince George’s County homicide number at a 14-year high

DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. - The death of a woman in District Heights on Monday marked the 119th homicide in Prince George’s County this year – making 2021 the deadliest year in the county since 2008.

Up until 2021, Prince George’s County had not surpassed 100 homicides in 14 years.

Violent crime has been up nationwide over the last couple of years.

The U.S. murder rate rose 30% in 2020, according to Pew Research.

Police in Prince George’s County are particularly concerned about the surge in crime among children.

"The main things that we see that's the most concerning to us is really the increase in juvenile crime, whether it's juveniles committing the crime or juveniles being the victim of the crime," Cpt. David Blazer, assistant commander of Major Crimes for PGPD, told FOX 5.

He said this year police have charged 11 juveniles with murder, more than double last year.

Prince George's County Police provided FOX 5 homicide numbers going back to 1990. They don't include numbers from jurisdictions that investigate their own homicides.

SEE PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY'S ANNUAL HOMICIDE NUMBERS

Police began investigating the deadly shooting in the 2100 block of County Road in District Heights Monday morning.

According to police, they responded to the scene around 7:45 p.m. When police arrived, they found the woman suffering from gunshot wounds. She died later a local hospital.

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Police are still trying to establish a suspect and a motive.

If you have any information that might help police in their investigation, call 1-866-411-TIPS.