SAN BERNARDINO—As of early this week, homicides in San Bernardino are occurring at a pace that would, if they continue, see the city’s annual record number of killings set in 2005 eclipsed by the end of December.
On Saturday, June 25, Calvin Boykins, a 30-year-old San Bernardino resident, was fatally wounded in a hail of gunfire. Boykins’ death was both sad and statistically significant, as well as painfully reminiscent of the pattern of violence besetting the city he lived, and died, in.
At 2:08 a.m. Saturday police were called about shots fired somewhere in the vicinity of the 1200 block of North Berkeley Avenue. Upon arriving, they found Boykins outside an open car suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Firefighter paramedics pronounced him dead on the scene minutes later. Also shot was a Rotweiler, which had made its way to a porch near the scene of Boykins’ death. The dog was taken away for veterinary treatment but later expired.
At press time, police had not yet developed any leads or suspects on Boykins’ murder.
Boykins’ homicide was the 32nd in San Bernardino since January 1. If the 2016 trend of mayhem continues with the same level of intensity and frequency during the final six months of 2016 as in the first six months of the year, 2005 will lose its place in the annals of San Bernardino as the deadliest year on record. That year there were 58 murders in the county seat.
San Bernardino in May was ranked, according to a study commissioned by the law firm Graham Donath as California’s most dangerous city with a population of over 100,000, based on FBI data crime statistics, police presence and social factors including poverty, education and unemployment.