Deadiest year in a decade for Richmond

RICHMOND, IN.(AP) - Richmond is experiencing its deadliest year in a decade, with six killings recorded since January in the eastern Indiana city.

Richmond Police Maj. Kevin Wampler said this year's killings have created "a tremendous workload" for the city's police officers. He said it's difficult to explain the surge, already twice last year's three killings.

"The number of homicides are very unusual but as far as the why, I really don't know if you're going to find anybody who can answer that question," Wampler said.

Paul Kriese, Indiana University East professor of political science, said the current economic downturn "has greater impact on the lower-middle and working classes" and created stresses for many people.

"It's the proverbial one paycheck away from poverty for a lot of people," he said. "People can't afford air conditioning, they have to decide between air conditioning and gas in their cars. I would expect the crime rate has gone up in that segment of society."

Richmond resident Carl Gay agrees that the weak economy has played a role in the killings by making it a violent and desperate time for some residents.

"People are frustrated, people are desperate, so they are taking measures you normally wouldn't think about," he told the Palladium-Item (http://pinews.co/LcE6hH ) for story published Sunday.

Tonawanda Thompson, a neighbor of Gay's who was nine months' pregnant, was gunned down April 30. The fetus didn't survive.

This year's six killings, which includes the death of the fetus, is the most in Richmond since 2002, when there were six all year. The nine killings since the start of 2011 marks the most over an 18-month period in the city of 37,000 residents in more than 30 years.

Richmond's violent crimes — rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults — jumped sharply in 2010 from 142 reported in 2009 to 170 in 2010, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. That included 33 reported rapes, compared with just eight in 2009. But aggravated assaults fell from 89 in 2009 to 61 in 2010.

In several parts of the city, residents are concerned about crime in general, especially burglaries, thefts, vandalism and car break-ins.

Richmond Common Councilwoman Kelley Cruse-Nicholson said she has received a dozen recent phone calls and emails from citizens who are on edge.

"People are nervous. They want an explanation. They need comfort. I think it is scary," she said.

Richmond Mayor Sally Hutton said she believes some people have become "too hopeless and too emotional" during the current hard economic times.

"There aren't many jobs and people have become disgruntled and take it out on people they know," she said.