In 2022, people who appeared to be homeless made up nearly a quarter of Los Angeles’ murder victims. It’s hoped that new mayor Karen Bass plan to house homeless people will result in fewer of their murders in 2023. Eric Leonard reports Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023.
Nearly one quarter of the murders recorded in Los Angeles in 2022 described the victim has homeless, a hugely disproportionate number considering homeless people make up roughly 1% of the City's population of more than 3.8-million.
Year-end crime data for 2022 reviewed by the I-Team showed LAPD detectives investigated 381 homicides and listed the victims as homeless in 92 of them, or 24% of all cases.
In 2021 the data showed victims described as homeless represented 23% of the City's 408 homicides.
People living in tents, RVs, or encampments are far more vulnerable to harm beyond violence.
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The LA County Department of Health reported last year that deaths of homeless people for all causes have climbed each year since 2017, with drug overdoses, heart disease, Covid-19, and traffic injuries claiming more lives than murders (the Health report examined deaths in all of LA County, not just in the City of LA).
