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America’s teen killers on the rise—and getting younger

January 28, 2021
Jim McNeffbyJim McNeff
teen killers

(Rudy and Peter Skitterians via Pixabay)

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America’s teen killers are on the rise and getting younger, while society seems baffled by this perplexing cultural truism.

America is experiencing record-setting homicide rates. And it seems politicians in most major cities would like to ignore the murder statistics from 2020. Yet those “stats” represent real people, experiencing real tragedies, while communities suffer.

I’ve paid attention to crime trends for 40 years, in serving in the military, municipal law enforcement, and writing/publishing about law enforcement. Yet I am truly astonished at the volume of murder being committed by teens.

Sounding the alarm…

Although it is ever present, this isn’t just iinner-city violence. And I’m not just sounding the alarm on murders committed by teenagers: I’m sounding the alarm on a growing number of murders being committed by young teenagers—15 and under. Increasingly, homicides are being committed by children who are too young to get a driver’s license.

teen killers
(Wendy Corniquet via Pixabay)

Killers under 15 have increased by nearly 17 percent

The latest statistics available come from the 2019 Uniform Crime Report, which shows a 16.9 percent increase in this category. In real numbers, there were 69 murders committed by 15-year-old “children” in 2019. That is alarming, if not horrifying.

Between 2017 and 2018, there was a 5.7 percent increase in homicides committed by teens under 18, per the 2018 Uniform Crime Report, but these figures leveled off in 2019.

sports franchises
(Pixabay)

Teen killers are increasingly making headlines

Although we do not yet have figures from 2020, as the managing editor of Law Officer, I’ve become intimately familiar with the topic. The articles below represent news stories that we’ve published in the past few months regarding teen killers, along with the age of the accused suspect following each title:

  • Denver police arrest 3 teens for house fire that killed 5 people (15-16 years of age)
  • Four young girls, 12-14, arrested after 15-year-old fatally stabbed in Walmart brawl (12-14)
  • Indianapolis police arrest juvenile suspect in mass murder that killed six (17-year-old family member)
  • Florida teen receives 45-year sentence for strangling mother to death during argument (15-year-old son)
  • Prosecutor charges teen father with shooting newborn, hiding body in snow (16)
  • Texas teen, 15, charged with murder after beating mother to death (15-year-old son)
  • California teen arrested in stabbing death of woman on hiking trail (17)
  • Chicago teen charged with murder after beating elderly man with baseball bat, lighting body on fire (15)
  • Alabama teen accused of murdering 5 family members has shown ‘no remorse’ (15)
  • Indiana teenager pleads guilty to murdering pregnant cheerleader (17)

Unfortunately, there are more, and this list only includes the stories we’ve covered in the past few months.

Sidebar

Even worse, these headlines are only about teenagers committing murder, and do not include other horrible crimes committed by younger “children.” For example, a 10-year-old fired a shotgun at San Diego police officers, which led to a 90-minute standoff with SWAT—talk about a “handle with care crisis.”

Paying attention to “red flags”

And speaking or crisis, parenting has always been difficult. But it’s probably more challenging today than any time in history (much like law enforcement). So each of us must stay alert and pay attention to red flags. And if we see something, indeed we must say something!

teen killers
(pxhere)

Collectively, we better wake up

Everyone has theories as to why this is occurring: i.e. lack of this, lack of that; too much of this, too much of that. I also have some anchored opinions on the topic, if I were to speak from experience. But my purpose here is not to lecture or preach. I simply want to sound the alarm: America’s teen killers are on the rise, and they are getting younger!

—Jim McNeff, Managing Editor

 


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Tags: familicideFamilyfamily homicidehomicidejuvenilesmurderteen killersteenage killersteenagerteens
Jim McNeff

Jim McNeff

Jim McNeff is the managing editor of Law Officer. As a Medal of Valor recipient with more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement and the military, Jim brings experience, insight, and a keen perspective to the issues affecting law enforcement. For nearly a decade, Jim has also served the law enforcement community as a writer and editor following the latest news, facts, and figures concerning law enforcement seven days a week, and 365 days a year. Jim is a retired police lieutenant and served a municipal police department for 28 years. Previously, Jim was a crewmember of the National Emergency Airborne Command Post—a presidential support detail. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Southwest University, and is a graduate of the esteemed Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute and the Leadership in Police Organizations IACP course of study. Jim is also the author of three police-related books: The Spirit Behind Badge 145, Justice Revealed, and Jurisdiction.

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