In all, the Washington region recorded 259 homicides in 2017 as the year was nearing a close Dec. 31, down from 300 in 2016. “No one thinks about this kind of thing until it happens,” said Omer Gorashi, a friend of Nabra Hassanen, the 17-year-old killed during Ramadan in Fairfax County. “You think, ‘What if it was me?’ ”Hundreds of friends and supporters of Nabra Hassanen rallied outside the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia in October. Homicides held steady at 18 in Fairfax County and in Montgomery County rose to 21 in 2017, from 16 in 2016. ( Prince George’s County Police )In Fairfax County, it appeared the jurisdiction might end the year with fewer killings than the 18 in 2016.

Source: Washington Post January 01, 2018 01:40 UTC