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U.S. firearm homicide rate in 2020 highest in quarter-century, CDC says

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May 10, 2022 at 1:49 p.m. EDT
From right, the Rev. Leathia Pinder; Antoine Pierce's mother, Dana Davis; his nephew Anthony, 8; and his sister Antionette Pierce release balloons during a celebration of his life in Washington in December 2020. Antoine Pierce, 35, was fatally shot that month. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)
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The surge in gun violence across the United States in 2020 pushed the firearm homicide rate that year to its highest level in a quarter-century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.

This rise in fatal shootings affected communities nationwide, but there were wide gaps across racial, ethnic and economic lines, with the increases in 2020 broadening already existing disparities, the CDC found.