Minot sees sharp increase in murders in 2020

MINOT, N.D. – The most recent homicide case in Minot marks the seventh murder this year in the city, and the second in nine days.

In 2018, the city of Minot did not see a single homicide.

In 2019, there was one.

This year, the city has seen seven, to date.

Police Chief John Klug said the two most common causes are drugs and domestic violence, saying that while Minot does not see large numbers of homicides in comparison to some larger cities, the number this year is alarming.

“Every homicide impacts the community. every homicide impacts our department. We look for anything that might show a trend, anything that might show we can do differently to help the community,” said Klug.

Klug said that while the case load has been increasing, officers and investigators are doing their best to get through it, saying they never completely set aside a case for long periods of time.

In the upcoming year, the department hopes to take a closer look at drug crimes in the area and try to stop that trend.