SC had a record number of murders and violent crime spike in 2020, state police report
More people were murdered in South Carolina in 2020 than in any single year on record, according to state police.
Aggravated assaults, which include shootings, also rose, state police reported in an annual crime statistics study.
“Gangs, drugs and criminal’s access to guns continue to play a significant role,” South Carolina Law Enforcement Chief Mark Keel said. “Yet given this surge, it is very disheartening to see so much effort and attention being directed to anti-public safety legislation that puts criminals back on the street and makes our communities less safe.”
Murder charges are have increased 51% in the past five years, according to Keel. Murders increased 25% from 2019 to 2020. South Carolina had 457 murder charges two years ago and 571 last year. Aggravated assault increased 9% from almost 19,500 to nearly 21,300.
But property crimes decreased for the sixth consecutive year, some significantly. South Carolina had almost 4,000 fewer burglaries and thefts, the report says. However, arsons jumped by more than 100.
Robberies and sexual assaults also decreased.
The preliminary report did not provide information on drug crimes. The report will be finalized in late summer or early fall, a SLED spokesperson said.
It’s rare for Keel to put on a news conference and him doing so speaks to the gravity of the violent crime surge.
State lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed drug sentencing reform this year, which would allow judges sentencing discretion for high level drug offenses instead of requiring certain years in prison. The bill still has to be passed by the Senate and be signed by the Governor to become law next year.
Keel took a shot at the proposal, saying it would “incentivize criminal conduct.”
“If we make the prosecution of drug crimes more difficult and we decrease the punishment for breaking the law, the public’s safety becomes more at risk,” he said.
About 30 sheriffs, police chiefs and leaders as well as solicitors from across the state gathered with Keel.
The violent crime trend is playing out in Richland County, which has had an increase this year in shootings.
Since February, the Columbia Police Department and Richland County Sheriff’s Department have investigated at least 35 shootings. Police reported that 54 people have been shot in the county this year. That’s compared 30 people shot from January to June 2 in 2020.
Police Chief Skip Holbrook, who was at Thursday’s news conference, and Sheriff Leon Lott, along with community leaders like Perry Bradley of Building Better Communities, have urged communities to take action to stop gun violence.
“It’s a crisis,” Lott said Wednesday.
This is a breaking news story which will be updated. Check back.
