YORK, Pa. — This week, there have been three homicides in York -- part of a disturbing trend of rising crime both in the city and around the country.
Police were called to a shooting on the 500 block of E. Market St. around 11:17 p.m. Wednesday. One 27-year-old died at the scene, while a 30-year-old man died at the hospital. A 34-year-old man remains in the hospital with injuries, according to police.
Also on Wednesday, a man injured in a shooting Monday on the 500 block of Walnut St. succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
For York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow, the deaths were a personal blow. One of the victims was the commissioner’s student when he used to served a school resource officer.
“My heart’s broken today,” Muldrow said.
Some York residents said they were saddened -- but not surprised -- at the violence near their homes.
“Here in York City, it’s just bad,” said Connie F., who asked not to have her last name revealed. “People just have to start praying, if they want to live and have a good life, leave other people alone and then everybody would be fine.”
“When they find all that shooting and all that, we can lose a business,” said Miguel Mendoza, who owns a beauty salon on E. Market St., next to where the shooting happened.
Commissioner Muldrow has made combating gun violence a hallmark of his tenure. He is now calling for additional measures, such as installing surveillance cameras on public streets.
“We can’t say that anything we’re doing is good enough,” he said. “We need to continue to further and look at additional steps and things we can do.”
Including the three deaths this week, York County has seen nine homicides so far this year, eight in York City.
That’s a higher number than this time last year; York County saw 19 homicides in all of 2021.
Homicides in major U.S. cities rose 44 percent from 2019 to 2021, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.