Rapid City Seeing Historically High Number of Homicides

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A homicide in Rapid City this week has made 2015 a particularly violent year in the city.

Police say 56-year-old Michael Crawford was gunned down late Tuesday. No arrests were immediately made.

The slaying is the seventh reported homicide in Rapid City this year. There also was a fatal shooting of a suspect by a police officer and another homicide just a few miles outside city limits.

The Rapid City Journal reports crime statistics can vary depending on how crimes are defined and grouped together, so it's difficult to determine exactly where the seven homicides rank in city history. But FBI stats that include murder and non-negligent homicides show the highest number for a single year between 1985 and 2012 was four.

Police Chief Karl Jegeris says he's concerned.

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