Alarming surge in domestic homicides in Atlanta

ATLANTA - Domestic murders are up at an alarming rate in the city of Atlanta.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum says it is not just husbands and wives facing deadly endings, but sons killing parents and occurrences of same-sex murders. The chief says this is a very difficult statistic to combat because officers cannot patrol inside homes.

Family members or spouses shooting and killing each other goes against normal expectations, but, the chief says, unfortunately, it is happening here at a disturbing rate in our city.

"We are now seeing domestic violence occurrences. Individuals that are harmed by individuals they are in a relationship with or related to or live in the same locality, same house or same apartment," Chief Schierbaum said.

A snapshot of the data shows just two homicides were domestic in nature last year, but already 12 homicides or 30% have been domestic this year.

The stats are piquing one Atlanta City Council member's curiosity.

"Do you have data on the types of domestic relationships that those homicides reflect?" Councilman Amir Farokhi, District 2, questioned.

"We have seen brothers kill brothers. We've seen wives and girlfriends harm their significant others. There's not just one category where I can say here's where we need to put our efforts," the chief said.

Chief Schierbaum says more often than not, the domestic dispute involves alcohol or drugs.

A therapist says many of the pressures that lead to domestic violence involve social and financial stress.

"If you take a substance that is decreasing your inability, and you add couple with that guns, what do you get? You get a disastrous result," therapist George Williams explained.

The chief says this is where social service agencies need to step in because officers cannot police in bedrooms.