Detroit murder rate tops in the nation

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DETROIT, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The increase in Detroit's murder rate during 2012 shows "we've just lost respect for each other," says Mayor Dave Bing.

Some 386 people were killed in Detroit during 2012, the major revealed during a news conference Thursday.

In 2011, officials recorded 344 homicides. If justifiable homicides are included, the number jumps to 411.

"We've just lost respect for each other, we've lost respect for life," The Detroit News reports Bing as saying of the murder rate. "And in some kind of way, all of us have to get back involved in this to give back to this next generation."

The numbers represent a murder rate of 53 for every 100,000 residents, the highest of the nation's 20 most populous cities.

Police also reported 1,263 non-fatal shootings for the year, a 1.5 percent increase from 2011.

Nationwide, murders have declined for a number of years.