We have been noticing that the homicide rate in the City of Brotherly Love has been taking a slightly different path this year than in 2021’s record-setting bloodbath. At the end of the Labor Day holiday weekend of 2021, there had been 363 homicides in the city, where the number was 372 this year. The statistics slightly skew, because Labor Day was on September 6^th in 2021, and September 5^th this year.

In 2021, the homicide rate really took off after Labor Day, rising from 1.4578 per day, to 1.7155 per day for the rest of the year, taking the projected number of total murders from 532 to 562.

But this year, that surge hasn’t been seen, and the number of homicides has fallen behind 2021’s awful toll; as of 11:59 PM EDT on Sunday, September 25^th, Philly is six homicides behind last year’s same-day numbers. At 1.48134328358209 killings per day, Philly actually has a lower daily death rate than the 1.504032258064516 seen at the end of the Labor Day holiday. At the end of Labor Day, the killing numbers projected out to 548.97, while now they’re down to 540.69 now. That’s still a terrible number, but perhaps, just perhaps, the city can avoid setting a new record for murders this year. Sure, it’s almost certainly going to be above 500, second-place all time, but that’s better than another gold medal.

However, the gold medal is what Lexington, Kentucky has won:

Woody LaPierre, photo by Fayette County Detention Center, and is a public record.

Lexington ties 2021 homicide record after man dies in Sunday morning shooting

by Taylor Six | Sunday, September 25, 2022 | 9:18 AM EDT | Updated: 3:39 PM EDT

Lexington has tied its record for homicides, set in 2021, with the city’s 37th homicide of 2022 taking place Sunday morning on Oxford Circle.

According to Lexington Police, officers responded to the 1800 block of Oxford Circle where they located 25-year-old Adentokunbo Okunoye, who had been shot around 4 a.m.

When officers arrived, they located Okunoye suffering from a gunshot wound. According to police, he was declared dead at the scene by the Lexington Fire Department.

Police arrested 29-year-old Woody LaPierre and charged him with murder. He is currently being held at the Fayette County Detention Center.

There’s more at the original, but it’s just noting the statistics: with 37 homicides, Lexington has tied last year’s record. In 2021, the 37^th murder occurred on December 30^th, while the city had seen only 27 killings at this time last year.

At 37 murders in 268 days, one every 7.24 days, Kentucky’s second-largest city is on a path to 50.39 murders for the year. Just four days ago, the number was at least under fifty, at 49.585.

In a bit of good news, the Lexington Police Department has solved the killing of Dietrich Murray:

Man arrested in connection to August murder on Dakota Street, Lexington police say

by Taylor Six | Sunday, September 25, 2022 | 9:54 AM EDT | Updated: Monday, September 26, 2022 | 10:59 AM EDT

James Catlett, photo by Fayette County Detention Center on August 6, 2014, and is a public record.

The Lexington Police Department arrested a man in connection with a homicide that occurred in August on Dakota Street.

Forty-five-year-old James Catlett was arrested on Saturday and charged with murder for the August 31 shooting death of Dietrich Murray, 29, according to police.

Murray was found lying in a Lexington road last month with a gunshot wound and died at the hospital, according to Lexington police.

Lt. Joe Anderson of the Lexington Police Department said the night of the homicide, the police received a report of a shooting at approximately 7:45 a.m. Murray was found in the intersection of North Broadway and Loudon Avenue when officers arrived.

According to court documents, a single spent .380 caliber shell casing was found at the scene of the shooting. Catlett was identified as a suspect and it was determined the shell casing came from a handgun that was in Catlett’s possession during a traffic stop on Sept. 1, according to an affidavit.

It was unclear if Catlett was a suspect in the shooting at the time of the traffic stop.

An eyewitness confirmed Catlett as the shooter through a photo lineup, according to court documents. Police didn’t comment on additional details of the investigation when asked Monday.

There’s more at the original.

As usual, what my best friend used to call the Lexington Herald-Liberal did not publish the mugshots of either criminal suspect, despite the fact that that the Lexington television stations had.

With a guesstimated population of 337,000, Lexington had a homicide rate of 10.98 per 100,000 population in 2021. If the city hits the projected 50 this year, the rate would be 14.84 per 100,000 population. Killington isn’t quite in Killadelphia’s league, but perhaps it ought to quit trying.