Three of 35 were women
Multiple reasons behind the rise in homicides: Drugs, neighborhood turf wars and domestic disputes
Vance recalled how during his patrol days with the Jackson Police Department in the 1980s, some shootings in the city were a result of turf wars between two rival gangs, the Vice Lords and Gangster Disciples. The gangs had migrated from Chicago to Mississippi.
Some of the current killings are more a result of neighborhood rivalries than organized gangs, Vance said, although there are some similarities to gang activity, including underlying drug activity. In other cases, the homicides are a result of domestic disputes.