RCSD: 2019 murder rates drop 22 percent from 2018

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO) – Richland County deputies say the murder rates in 2019 have dropped 22 percent from 2018.

Authorities say the number of murders dropped from 27 in 2018 to 21 last year.

Sheriff Leon Lott says the decrease comes from the office’s continued relationship with the community.

Officials say the Gun and Violent Crime Reduction Task Force had 204 arrests and seized 855 guns since April 2019.

According to investigators, out of the 21 murders last year, the following four incidents remain unsolved:

1. May 5: A 68-year-old man was found shot in his Eastover home.
2. May 12: A 26-year-old man was killed, after leaving a club near the Columbia Mall.
3. Sep. 14: A 33-year-old man died at a hospital after being found wandering with a gunshot wound on Clifford Drive.
4. Dec. 15: A 26-year-old was found shot on Hallbrook Drive.

If you have any information on these crimes, please call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.