CHICAGO, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Chicago has had its 500th homicide of the year following the shooting deaths of 13 people during the Labor Day weekend, police said.
Police said a surge in shootings, which mostly occurred between 6 a.m. Monday and 3 a.m. Tuesday, were retaliatory acts often involving gangs after a weekend of parties and tense encounters. In total, there have been 512 homicides in Chicago so far this year, the Chicago Tribune reported.
There were 491 homicides in all of 2015. Chicago Tribune said its homicide estimates are higher than Chicago Police Department numbers because the police does not include killings on area expressways or those considered justifiable homicides.
Chicago's homicide rate far outpaces other U.S. metropolitan cities. New York City and Los Angeles have had 409 homicides combined this year.
However, Chicago is not the homicide capital of the United States per capita. New Orleans, St. Louis, Detroit, Baltimore and Newark all have higher homicide rates per 100,0000 people, all higher than Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York, since 1984.
But in Chicago, homicides this year have risen to levels not seen since 1990s -- when killings peaked over 900 each year. The 90 homicides in August ties the previous monthly record last seen in June 1996. In July 1993, 99 people were killed.
