By PETER HERMANN, DANA HEDGPETH AND JUSTIN WM. MOYER | The Washington Post | Published: January 1, 2021 WASHINGTON Homicides in the District of Columbia rose for the third consecutive year in 2020, reaching nearly 200 for the first time since the previous decade and further stressing a city rattled by the pandemic and social and political unrest. The number of killings stood at 198 Thursday evening, making the past year the deadliest in the city since 2004. More than 920 people were shot in the District in 2020, a 64% increase from three years ago. The victims of deadly violence include a beloved school bus driver, a construction worker killed while renovating a home and a grandmother who survived covid-19. A little boy was fatally shot at a stop the violence cookout, and a toddler died of gunfire as he was strapped in a car seat.