WASHINGTON -- The year 2008 ended with 186 homicides in D.C., up from 181 in 2007, authorities said.
Police and prosecutors are more concerned about an increase in juvenile homicide suspects. Sixteen juveniles were arrested in homicide cases in 2008, six more than the previous year.
Glenn Kirschner, who heads the homicide unit of the U.S. attorney's office, said an increasing number of homicides in D.C. in recent years have been the result of petty disputes between rival gangs. He says the younger suspects seem more reckless, he said.
Twenty of the homicide victims in 2008 were juveniles.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
