Residents of Charlotte have been calling for something to be done about the violence that has been taking place in the city. Just this past weekend there were five shootings in Charlotte with two of them resulting in homicides. According to Charlotte police statistics, there have been 50 homicides this year alone and it's only May. That number is up from less than 30 last year around this time.
The first shooting of the weekend happened at Remount Road near West Boulevard and unfortunately, the victim passed away at the scene... she was 29 years old. At nearly 5 am police responded to a second shooting on the Eastside of Charlotte along Kilborne Drive right off of Eastway. This shooting also resulted in the victims dying after they were admitted to the hospital.
There were 3 other shootings in the city all on Sunday and in different parts of the city. One shooting took place near Lake Wylie while the other two happened in Northeast Charlotte. All three victims were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Anyone with information about any incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
What do you feel the community needs to do in order to cut down on the amount of gun violence in the city?
There is nothing more important than personal safety. Especially as a woman. Like it or not there are just certain things I won't do. Things like pumping gas at night, rolling my window down in my car for any reason other than a drive-thru, or engaging with anyone I don't know who approaches me in places like a parking lot. Most apartment complexes won't rent first-floor apartments to women either. These are just some things guys don't have to worry about. And I wish I didn't either. But unfortunately, the world we live in makes women have to be super vigilant and aware of our surroundings. My personal safety just takes priority. Even though most of the Carolinas are fairly safe, bad things can happen anywhere. But there are some places where crime is more common than others. So what are the most dangerous cities in South Carolina?
NeighborhoodScout conducted the research to answer that question. And it may not be the answer you are expecting. Their research highlighted the 100 most dangerous cities in America. These are cities with a population of 25,000 or more people. The rankings are based on the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents. For the purpose of this list, Neighborhood Scout considers violent crimes to be rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. According to their methodology, "the data used for this research are the number of violent crimes reported to have occurred in each city, and the population of each city."
A total of 9 Carolina cities made this list. 4 of the most dangerous cities were in South Carolina, while 5 were in North Carolina. The most dangerous city in the US overall? That was Bessemer Alabama, followed by Monroe, Louisiana. You can read the full list via Neighborhood Scout here or keep reading to see the South Carolina cities that made the list.
19. Spartanburg, SC
The most dangerous city in either Carolina? Spartanburg. This South Carolina city has a violent crime rate of 15.2 and a 1 in 65 chance of being a victim.
36. Florence, SC
Coming in at number 36 on this list is Florence. This town, which you drive through to get to the next city on our list, gives you a 1 in 75 chance of being a victim and a 13.1 rate of violent crime.
44. Myrtle Beach, SC
If you've been to downtown Myrtle Beach, are you surprised? There are great areas of this vacation destination, but also some not so great. The "Dirty Myrtle" boasts a 12.1 violent crime rate and a 1 in 82 chance of being a victim.
73. North Charleston, SC
It's North Charleston which is our last SC city on this list. Not to be confused with Charleston proper, North Charleston has a 1 in 95 chance of being a victim and a violent crime rate of 10.4.
