According to a study recently published by the National Commission of COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, there has been significant increase in murders in major American cities in 2020 over 2019. This included a 43% increase in murders in New York City. The study described the year over year increase as being without precedent in modern times.

The Western Journal explains:

The report from the National Commission of COVID-19 and Criminal Justice titled “Pandemic, Social Unrest, and Crime in U.S. Cities” said homicide rates in 34 cities jumped 30 percent from 2019 to 2020.

“The coronavirus pandemic and protests over police violence are likely contributors, along with yet-to-be-identified additional factors,” the authors of the report wrote.

According to the report, a nation on edge amid COVID-19 fears and lockdowns was already topping 2019 in homicides when Black Lives Matter-fueled protests erupted in cities such as Minneapolis and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Homicide rates “increased significantly in June, well after the pandemic began, coinciding with the death of George Floyd and the mass protests that followed. Overall, homicide rates increased 30% in 2020, a large and troubling increase that has no modern precedent,” the report said.

READ: Study: Increase in Murder Rates in Major US Cities ‘Has No Modern Precedent’

RELATED: Christian documentary on Chicago violence being considered as a possible Oscar nominee

A faith documentary entitled, “Chicago: America’s Hidden War,” that follows NYC Pastor Dimas Salaberrios as he takes a stand against violence in arguably America’s most violent city, Chicago, is being considered as a possible contender for an Oscar award.

The documentary follows Salaberrios, a former NYC drug Lord, who travelled to Chicago, after he felt led to fast and pray for the city.

Christian Post reports:

“When my family received the news that ‘Chicago: America’s Hidden War’ hit the Oscars Best Documentary Feature List, joy entered the room,” Salaberrios told The Christian Post of the big news. “We yelled for several minutes because my whole family sacrificed so much to tell the truth about the war in Chicago.”

According to the statistic on the film’s website, 90.9% of deaths in Chicago during 2020 were the result of gun violence. Reports show that a person is shot every two hours and a person is killed every 10 hours. Just last month, the city recorded 51 homicides, the highest death toll for January in four years.

READ: Documentary of NYC pastor’s fight to end violence in Chicago gets Oscar buzz