18 homicides reported in Savannah so far this year

Three people were shot to death this week in Savannah, according to Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department reports.

On Sunday, Tarik Rasheen Bentley, 35, died after sustaining gunshot wounds in the 1900 block of East DeRenne Avenue.

Hannah Brown, a 36-year-old mother of five from Savannah was shot to death Thursday morning in her car near a residence in the 1300 block of New Castle Street, according to Savannah Morning News reporting.

Just hours later, Stephen Grant, 32, died of injuries sustained in an early morning shooting a shooting outside of a residence on Kandlewood Drive near Cindy Avenue. He was the 18th homicide victim this year in the Savannah-Chatham County area.

According to Savannah-Chatham Metro Police reports, this year’s homicide numbers are higher than this time last year. By April 23, 2015, nine homicide victims were reported in Savannah.

Savannah’s homicide rate in 2015 was the highest it’s been since the early 1991, according to the Savannah Morning News. In 2015, Savannah-Chatham Metro Police reported 56 total homicides, with five of those victims being children. In 2014, 32 homicides were reported in Savannah. In Beaufort County, 16 people were killed, many of them by guns, in Beaufort County.

So far in 2016, SCPD reports a total of 18 homicide cases, 17 rape cases and more than 354 violent crimes have occurred.

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 4:28 PM with the headline "18 homicides reported in Savannah so far this year."