Milwaukee police recorded 20 homicides in August, the most in a single month since 2005, according to a report presented Thursday to the city's Fire and Police Commission.
The killings were among 29 recorded by the department during July and August, with about 79% of the victims African-American, 17% Hispanic and and 3% white, according to the report.
"It's been extraordinary by any objective standard," Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn told the commission, noting that 31% stemmed from arguments and fights — the leading cause among nine primary factors.
"People are bringing guns to a lot of these disputes and we end up with a dead body," Flynn said.
Other factors included domestic violence, which accounted for 24% of the killings, followed by 14% that stemmed from robberies, according to the report.
The report also says 23 of the victims were males, six were females and 23 had prior arrests for undisclosed offenses.
Flynn also told the commission that of 446 arrests since January for recklessly endangering safety, 418 involved felons in possession of a firearm.
"There are a lot of armed bad guys in this town," Flynn said.
"We're encountering them; we're arresting them."
There have been 70 killings in Milwaukee in 2013.
Also Thursday, the commission unanimously approved changes to the police department's policy on handling prisoners.
The changes were recommended by Flynn against the background of two high-profile deaths by subjects in police custody.
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