NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Following two recent shootings, Nashville's climbing criminal homicide count has surpassed last year's total.
A 24-year-old man was shot and killed in Hermitage on Saturday, and an 18-year-old was fatally shot in northeast Nashville on Monday, according to Metro police, bringing this year's total to 42 criminal homicides. Eight of the victims were children.
Last year's total of 41 homicides was the lowest number since the Metro Nashville government was created in 1963. The all-time high murder total in Nashville was 112 in 1997.
Public Defender Dawn Deaner tells the newspaper that common themes her clients face include generational poverty, absence of a supportive adult, trauma as a child, early exposure to drugs and alcohol use and unmet physical, mental and educational needs.
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