Although crime was reported to be on the decline in Gainesville in 2010, last week turned out to be an anomaly with two homicides in four days.
On average, there are four or five homicides a year in Gainesville, said Cpl. Angelina Valuri, public information officer for the Gainesville Police Department.
So far this year, there have been five - two of which occurred since last Thursday, Valuri said.
In 2010, there were four homicides in Gainesville.
"The whole week has been unusual," she said.
The first reported homicide of the week occurred at Cabana Beach apartments, when 22-year-old Theoderick Brown died after being shot 13 times.
Another homicide was reported early Sunday morning when 30-year-old Artrel Dubose was shot in the head during a confrontation in a downtown parking garage.
But overall, crime rates are still down in Gainesville, Valuri said.
In 2010, crime rates dropped by 16.3 percent, according to a uniform crime report issued earlier this year by GPD. This included an overall decrease of 21.6 percent in violent crimes, with a 9.5 percent drop in rape crimes.
Incidents of sexual assault have reflected expected rates, Valuri said. One rape has been reported since Oct. 20.
