With 46 days left in 2015, Baltimore passed a grim milestone; they recorded the 300th murder this year. City leaders can't explain the huge spike in killings, but perhaps not coincidentally, the rise in murders began shortly after the Freddie Gray riots in April. Baltimore Sun: Baltimore's 2015 homicide rate currently sits at 47 per 100,000 people, second only to the rate in St. Louis, which has also seen a steep spike in gun violence this year. Total shootings in Baltimore are up nearly 80 percent over the comparable period last year, while other types of crime, including robbery and burglary, have also increased. Efforts to combat the street crime come as the Department of Justice continues an investigation into allegations of brutality and other issues within the Baltimore Police Department. Meanwhile, the city is bracing for the first of six trials for the police officers charged in Gray's arrest and death; it is scheduled to begin Nov....(Read Full Post)