Thread by @NBCNews

Homicides rose sharply across the country, in cities big and small, in 2020.

For Akron, Ohio, the bloodshed took a particularly painful toll when six children under the age of 16 were killed over a four-month stretch. nbcnews.to/3hZ6LzC (1/10) #NBCNewsThreads

Violent crime isn’t new for this industrial city, but far more children lost their lives to gun violence in 2020 than in years past, police officials say.

Of the 6 killed over those 4 months, all but one died from gunfire. (2/10)

The killings have shaken the city, sparking a series of anti-violence demonstrations.

While it's difficult to pinpoint why homicides surged across the US last year, criminologists and other experts say impacts from the coronavirus pandemic are likely contributing factors. (3/10)

The Covid-19 crisis has impacted all facets of society: torpedoing businesses, erasing jobs, emptying schools, short-staffing police and disrupting court and jail systems.

“I’m actually surprised there hasn’t been more of a rise in crime,” UCLA professor Jorja Leap says. (4/10)

“The pandemic has accentuated extreme poverty,” Rev. Roderick Pounds, a local pastor, says. “It just breeds more and more violence, especially in poor, low-income communities.” nbcnews.to/3hZ6LzC (5/10)

Akron eclipsed its previous record-high year for homicides in mid-October. By year's end, a total of 55 people had been killed, up nearly 45% from 2019.

The city hadn’t recorded 50 or more homicides since at least 1983, the earliest year for which it has data. (6/10)

The vast majority of the victims have been Black, police officials say, and 1-in-9 were under the age of 16.

“They're innocent people who haven't had a chance to get a start in life,” Akron police Capt. David Laughlin says. (7/10)

The series of killings involving minors began on June 4 when a 14-year-old was shot in the chest in a triple shooting. 10 days later, an 18-year-old was shot while sitting in her car with her grandmother at a stoplight. nbcnews.to/3hZ6LzC (8/10)

The following month, a 22-month-old girl and her father were killed after an SUV intentionally slammed into them while walking on a sidewalk.

August and September brought the fatal shooting of a 21-month-old, 6-year-old, 8-year-old and 15-year-old in separate incidents. (9/10)

“It’s been painful in that regard,” Akron police Lt. Michael Miller says. “It stings just a little harder when it involves children.” nbcnews.to/3hZ6LzC (10/10)