The Associated Press
GARY, Ind. (AP) -- Gary, Indiana apparently finished 2003 with the nation’s highest per capita homicide rate for the ninth straight year, according to police statistics.
Police in the northwestern Indiana city of 103,000 investigated 69 suspicious deaths, 68 of which have been classified as homicides. That total was about 10 percent higher than the 62 in 2002, but down substantially from the 132 people killed in 1995, the Post-Tribune of Merrillville reported Friday.
Based on information from police in major U.S. cities, Gary was poised again to post the highest per capita homicide rate for cities with population of more than 100,000, the newspaper reported.
“As sad as it is to see this many homicides, the number could be much worse, especially when you look at the number of shootings we’ve had,” said detective Sgt. Thomas Branson, who heads Gary’s homicide squad. At least 400 people were shot during the year, he said.
Indianapolis -- the state’s largest city -- finished the year with 113 killings, The Indianapolis Star reported. That total included 81 homicides in the city and 32 in Marion County. The city and county governments were combined in 1970.
Chicago, Gary’s larger neighbor, finished 2003 with 599 homicides, the highest unofficial total among major U.S. cities.
Police said much of the violence in Gary is done by Chicago residents who move their homes or drug operations to the nearby Indiana city.
“As Chicago tears down its high-rise public housing buildings, many of those people are moving here,” said Police Chief Garnett Watson.
The majority of homicides in Gary involved drugs, gangs or both, said David Rivers, a retired Miami detective who taught a three-day course for police in nearby Hobart.
Domestic disputes appeared to be the second highest cause of violent deaths in Gary, police said.