Is America seeing a surge in violent crime?

(NewsNation) — According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, violent crime increased by 5 percent in 2020. Homicides skyrocketed by 29 percent.

Larceny, theft, burglary, aggravated assault, robbery and rape are among the most reported crimes in the U.S.

But the FBI is running into complications understanding this recent uptake, saying only 52 percent of law enforcement agencies sent crime data for 2021. Because of this, the FBI says it will not be releasing a full analysis of last year’s crime statistics.

Several deadly cases recently have made national headlines, including the recent murders of two police officers in El Monte.

A young mother murdered while pushing a stroller in New York is the latest case drawing national attention and outrage.

Azsia Johnson, 20, was shot and killed on Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Wednesday night while pushing her 3-month-old baby in a stroller. Police say Johnson was shot in the head at close range.

A young witness saw a man running off dressed all in black.

“I first was, like, ‘Oh no, this is a firework,’” the witness said. “I’m sure it would be fine. Then, I realized it was a gunshot and it was actually serious.”

Within hours of the shooting, New York Mayor Eric Adams blamed the proliferation of guns on the streets.

“This shows just how this national problem is impacting families,” Adams said.

For now, NYPD is not commenting on a possible search for the child’s father or saying whether the woman was targeted. NYPD statistics show that violent crime is up by more than 25 percent in the city.

In Southern California, community members continue to mourn the murders of two El Monte police officers gunned down by a convict out on probation.

Law enforcement officers from near and far attended a memorial service Thursday to honor Sgt. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana.

“We can’t get to the point where we think this level of violence is normal,” one speaker at the service said.