Police-targeted shootings in Chicago spiked this year compared with 2019, according to Chicago Police Department data released Tuesday.
Officers were shot at 71 times this year, compared with 18 incidents last year. From January through November 2020, 10 officers were struck by bullets, whereas 3 officers were hit in the same time period last year.
Anti-police protests began in May following the death of George Floyd and continued in Chicago and other major U.S. cities throughout the summer. Chicago Police Department superintendent David Brown told NBC 5 Chicago that the civil unrest, in addition to the coronavirus outbreak, exacerbated the problems Chicago police already face.
Year-to-date shootings and murders in Chicago have both increased this year, according to the newly released data. Shootings between January and the end of November were 58 percent higher compared with the same time frame last year. Murders increased by 54 percent compared with the same time period.
In September, Chicago surpassed its total number of homicides in 2019.
Though shooting incidents and homicides are on the rise this year, other violent crimes like assault and robbery are down, following national trends.
Other cities in the United States have experienced notable upticks in shootings and homicides this year. New York City surpassed the 2019 total number of shootings in August, as did Seattle.