Jefferson County, and specifically the city of Birmingham, saw a steep rise in the number of homicides in 2015. Jefferson County had a 62 percent increase in murder cases overall. The county had one hundred and forty three homicides—that’s up from eighty eight in 2014. Al.com reports there were ninety two homicides in Birmingham. That’s a fifty five percent increase compared to 2014. Birmingham had fifty nine homicides in 2014. The 2015 number represents the most homicides the city has experienced since 2008. Two of Birmingham's 2015 homicides were considered accidental by Birmingham police and 10 others were ruled justifiable. Birmingham saw its first homicide of 2016 less than three hours into the New Year.
2015 Murder rate up for Jefferson County
