The Gazette (Colorado Springs): This is a tale of two cities, Denver and Colorado Springs.

A few months ago, we asked our reporters in both cities to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted crime rates. 

In Denver, Alayna Alvarez, a reporter for our sister publication Colorado Politics, found that shootings and killings were up 50% between January and mid-July compared with the same period last year, according to data from the Denver Police Department. At least 48 homicides had occurred as of Aug. 3. By that time in 2018 — Denver’s deadliest year in a decade — the city had recorded 36.

What was worse, the crime rates showed that many of the victims were young: At least nine kids have died by homicide this year, DPD reported.

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