ORLANDO, Fla. – Flashing blue police lights lit up the Windsor Cover Apartments early last Wednesday morning, Orlando police called were out to investigate the slaying of William Graham Jr., 26. Two hours later, Orlando homicide detectives were called out again, this time to Jefferson Street, where a mother and son were slain together.
The three homicides in one day brought the total for 2018 to 31. According to statistics provided by Orlando Police Wednesday, that surpasses the total of homicides for 2017, which was 25. The homicide total has increased by 24 percent and there are still five months left in the year.
"Certainly, we don't like the increase," Orlando Police Chief John Mina said.
When asked the reasons for the rise this year, he said it's nearly impossible to tell.
"Homicides are impossible to predict," Chief Mina said. "It's a crime of passion, so almost impossible to predict."
However, Mina said some homicides have been tied to drugs and drug dealers. Last Friday, Orlando police arrested 29 accused drug dealers in an attempt, the chef says, to help curb this year's high homicide rate.
"We did see some homicides that we believe may be drug related and we are aggressively targeting those drug dealers and going after the people who may be responsible," Mina said.
Though he is not proud of the statistics, he is proud of his homicide detectives. On Wednesday morning, detectives arrested Hyginino Atwell, 23, on charges of second-degree murder with a firearm for the July 18 shooting death of William Graham Jr. at the Windsor Cover Apartments. Mina says that shows how his detectives work to clear the cases and make arrests. He says that's an area his detectives excel in.
"They usually stay at a 80-85 percent clearance rate. That is what they were at last year and we will be able to get to that mark this year, and that's well above the national average of 60 percent," Mina said.
Community activist and local leader Bishop Kelvin Cobaris said Wednesday it's not only up to law enforcement to solve crimes and curb violence. He said that it takes community involvement as well.
"My reaction to those numbers are,'Wow, here we go again,'" Cobaris said. "Our work is cut out for us. When crimes are committed in our community, law enforcement doesn't see it, we do, so it's important if you want things corrected where you live you have got to speak up."
News 6 reached out to many of the surrounding police agencies to see if the spike is across Central Florida. Here are those numbers:
Orange County
42 homicides in 2017
26 homicides so far in 2018
Seminole County
4 homicides in 2017.
5 so far in 2018, two of those were in self-defense
Volusia County
7 homicides
4 homicides so far in 2018
Marion County
17 homicides in 2017
14 homicides so far in 2018
Lake County
9 homicides in 2017
1 homicide so far in 2018
City of Kissimmee
7 homicides in 2017
2 homicides in 2018
City of Daytona Beach
12 homicides in 2017
6 homicides so far in 2018
News 6 reached out to Osceola County Sheriff's Office and Brevard County Sheriff's Office for the homicide rates but did not immediately hear back.