ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A crime wave in New Mexico's largest city brought a rise in homicides in 2015, with early figures showing the number of killings in Albuquerque increased by about 53 percent from the previous year.
Albuquerque police say preliminary figures for 2015 show that they investigated at least 46 homicides. It's the highest number of homicides the city has seen since 2009, when FBI statistics show there were 56 in Albuquerque.
In 2014, FBI figures show there were 30 reported homicide cases in Albuquerque, while the overall violent crime rate jumped from 7.75 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2013 to 8.83.
Mayor Richard Berry has repeatedly attributed a recent rise in violent crime in Albuquerque to career criminals who authorities say return to the streets after serving sentences for prior offenses.