Colorado Springs sees threefold increase in homicides in 2022 compared to same time last year
Colorado Springs has seen 12 homicide investigations in 2022, three times the amount it had seen at this time last year.
As of the end of February 2021, according to Colorado Springs Police Department spokesman Lt. Jim Sokolik, the city had seen four such investigations.
“Usually, these are isolated incidents that don’t result in additional homicides. Why have we had this many? Can’t say,” Sokolik said. “We certainly find any homicide concerning, any increase absolutely concerning. But we’re not different than the rest of the U.S.”
This year’s violent beginning comes after a record-setting 44 homicide investigations in Colorado Springs in 2021, departing Chief of Police Vince Niski said during an early February public safety forum.
The average number of homicides the city’s seen over the last five years, over 35, saw an increase of over 23% in 2021, Sokolik said, noting that number dipped in 2019 before bouncing back up in 2020, which set a previous record for the city with 39.
The last times the city saw similar numbers of homicides during the first two months of a year was in 2020 and 2017, when there were nine homicide investigations by the end of February each year, Sokolik said.
Many of last year’s homicides, Sokolik said, were domestic violence-related, a field he said the department could help in.
“One place I think we can make more impact is with domestic violence victims, because we can see that progression where an abuser becomes more violent,” he said. “If you’re involved in a domestic violence relationship, you have that ability to reach out to the police and we can provide you services. Hopefully, we can arrest that person, hold them accountable.”
But in general, Sokolik said the increased number of homicides as compared to numbers at this time last year didn’t necessarily mean an elevated rate of homicides would continue moving forward.
“These homicides are not connected in any way. These are individual, distinct events, and that’s why also people shouldn’t draw trends thinking about that. … [It] doesn’t mean we’re going to continue to have more, even though we have seen those increase,” he said.
A Colorado Springs police cruiser sits at a crime scene.