A Staggering 27 Homicides in 2021 Marks a Violent Year for Amarillo

It's official, the year 2021 saw an outstanding 27 homicides in the Amarillo area. This is the highest number of murders the city has seen since 1994.

To put this official tally into perspective, we turned to the Amarillo Police Department's annual reports. By examining each report, we were able to compile the data you'll see below.

• The years 2000 to 2020 saw an average of 11.6 homicides each year in the Amarillo area.

What nearly each of these homicides have in common is something that officials describe as unusual: a whopping 26 of the 27 murders committed in Amarillo show the murder weapon to be a gun.

This near-uniform display of gun violence has not been seen before, as several spokespeople for Amarillo Police Department have told news outlets.

Why Did The Murder Rate in Amarillo Increase?

This stark increase seen this year on a local level seems to follow a trend seen on the national level. Crime rates rose exponentially throughout the year 2020. Amid the myriad of contributing factors, the pandemic was the driving force for the rise in crime seen across the nation.

The anxieties brought about by lockdown and restrictions, along with the change in how law enforcement are required to respond to incidents are two major influences that come into play

Beyond the News: A Look at Amarillo's Murders in 2021

While media coverage of homicides make for compelling clicks, they are usually forgotten by the public and press alike. In light of the astonishing number of 27 murders in 2021, we've taken the effort to compile the available information on the year's deadliest crimes. They are presented in the order in which they occurred.