Courtney Mabeus, The Examiner
2007-11-19 08:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

Two weekend homicides have increased the number of slayings in the District of Columbia this year to 169 — tying the total number of homicides during 2006, according to Metropolitan Police Department statistics.

A 28-year-old man was found dead on the 3100 block of Buena Vista Terrace in Southeast early Saturday. In another incident, 25-year-old Timothy Spicer, of the 1700 block of Q Street SE, died of multiple gunshot wounds suffered during a carjacking. He was found outside on the 1100 block of Howard Road SE, Officer Joshua Aldiva said Sunday.

Council Member Phil Mendelson, D-at large, called reaching the new total, which is 10 percent higher than the number of homicides at this time last year, an “unfortunate accomplishment.”

“It’s not a statistic to be proud of,” Mendelson said Sunday. He chairs the council’s judiciary committee, which oversees the MPD.

With six weeks left in the year, council members said they expect the rate to continue to climb, making it the first time since 2002 that it has done so. That year, there were 262 homicides, up from 232 in 2001.

The District’s homicide rate peaked in 1991 with 479 slayings, earning the city the dubious distinction of the murder capital of the United States.

“It’s intolerable,” Council Member Jim Graham, D-Ward 1, said Sunday. “For every person that is killed, there are probably another 20 shots fired. ... This is the serious tip of the iceberg.”

In a statement, Mayor Adrian Fenty said his administration “will continue to take a close look at how we can holistically approach reducing violence to keep our city safe and our residents protected.”

“Historically, this year’s homicide rate remains well below the city’s average rate over the years,” Fenty said.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier could not be reached Sunday.

Council members defended Lanier’s actions since she took over MPD earlier this year.

“It’s not what we’re doing but what we need to be doing in addition,” Graham said. He said he thinks the rise can be attributed to increasing gang populations in some pockets of the District.

Mendelson said the increasing rate demonstrates the need for the District’s handgun ban, which was struck down as unconstitutional in March by a federal appeals court.

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to hear an appeal in the case.

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com

dc examiNation and poll: What do you think about D.C.'s rising homicide rate?