Don’t Dew This: North Carolina Woman Cited For Shooting Mountain Dew
When Gastonia Police officers got the call of shots fired this week, they probably weren’t expecting what they found. The call led them into a neighborhood where they encountered a…
CHICAGO, IL – FEBRUARY 16: Mountain Dew beverages at MTN DEW Courtside Studios during NBA All-Star 2020 at Morgan’s on Fulton on February 16, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois.
(Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for MTN DEW)When Gastonia Police officers got the call of shots fired this week, they probably weren't expecting what they found. The call led them into a neighborhood where they encountered a 64-year-old woman who was shooting at bottles of Mountain Dew in her backyard. The woman admitted to shooting the soda bottles with a revolver. And the reasons? She didn't like her father drinking them. Wouldn't it have been easier just to pour the drink out?
"We totally understand that not everybody is a fan of the Dew but we can’t stress enough how dangerous this is!" the department said in a Facebook post. "here are much safer alternatives to disposing of beverages that you don’t like instead of using the full bottles as target practice…in your backyard… in your neighborhood… surrounded by other homes and people."
I think we can all agree that Mountain Dew isn't the healthiest drink choice. But Gastonia, this just isn't it. Pour it down the sink, kill your grass or some weeds with it. But don't be the next person in trouble for shooting Mountain Dew in your backyard.
Two North Carolina Cities Among Those With Largest Homicide Increases
Unfortunately, homicide rates are rapidly rising increasing rapidly across the U.S. Political parties are split on what to do to prevent this violence, but the problem is not solving itself. To make matters worse homicide rates have risen by an average of nearly 10% in 50 of the most populated U.S. cities. These numbers are the change between Q3 2021 and Q3 2022. WalletHub recently released a report, and two North Carolina cities were in the top 15, detailing the cities with the largest homicide increases. This list is compiled based on several different metrics (detailed below). While it may not come as a surprise, it's still not something you want to see. And Charlotte was 5th when simply looking at the increase from Q3 2021 to 2022.
In order to determine which cities have the biggest homicide problems, WalletHub compared 50 of the largest U.S. cities based on per capita homicides in Q3 2022, as well as per capita homicides in Q3 2022 vs. Q3 2021 and Q3 2020. And the two largest North Carolina cites were among the top 15 for homicide increases. Ouch. Keep reading to see where they ranked as well as the other North Carolina city that made the list. It came in at number 26.
You can read the full WalletHub study and analysis here.
1. Kansas City, MO
Total Score: 87.49
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 14.86
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 4.89
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 2.04
2. Detroit, MI
Total Score: 69.46
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 13.24
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 1.34
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 1.19
3. St. Louis, MO
Total Score: 58.88
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 19.69
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): -.66
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): -15.42
4. New Orleans, LA
Total Score: 57.36
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 10.99
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 0.51
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 0.26
5. Milwaukee, WI
Total Score: 56.03
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 10.46
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 0.17
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 0.51
6. Albuquerque, NM
Total Score: 56.02
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 6.60
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 1.78
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 1.78
7. Philadelphia, PA
Total Score: 52.58
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 9.36
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 0.51
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 0.13
8. Norfolk, VA
Total Score: 49.70
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 7.78
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): -1.23
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 1.64
9. Nashville, TN
Total Score: 47.09
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 7.78
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): -1.23
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 1.64
10. Oakland, CA
Total Score: 47.01
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 7.34
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 0.24
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 0.24
11. Colorado Springs, CO
Total Score: 46.38
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 2.54
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 1.91
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 1.91
12. Baltimore, MD
Total Score: 44.00
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 12.45
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): -2.66
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): -1.66
13. Las Vegas, NV
Total Score: 43.53
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 5.90
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): -1.55
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 1.55
14. Raleigh, NC
Total Score: 43.00
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 3.19
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 1.06
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 1.28
15. Charlotte, NC
Total Score: 41.40
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 3.78
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 1.49
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 0.23
16. Anchorage, AK
Total Score: 41.21
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 2.40
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 1.03
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 1.37
17. Tulsa, OK
Total Score: 38.71
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 4.97
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 1.24
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): -0.99
18. Omaha, NE
Total Score: 37.26
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 2.71
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 1.04
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 0.21
19. Lincoln, NE
Total Score: 36.37
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 1.75
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 1.40
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 0.35
20. Austin, TX
Total Score: 36.17
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 2.07
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): 0.21
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 0.93
26. Durham, NC
Total Score: 32.07
Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022): 3.26
Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021): -1.45
Changes in Homicide Cases Per Capita (Q3 2022 vs Q3 2020): 0.36
