With five shooting deaths from last year still unsolved, interim Lafayette Police Chief Reginald Thomas says the police department will form a task force aimed at finding their killers.
Multiple news outlets say the announcement comes after the police department released its 2015 crime statistics for the city, showing a dramatic uptick in homicides.
Thomas said Tuesday this is unacceptable.
Although total crime in Lafayette saw a two percent decrease, the homicide rate in Lafayette more than doubled in 2015, with 20 people losing their lives last year to violence compared to nine in 2014. All 20 were shot to death.
The five unsolved homicides all took place in north Lafayette, miles apart from each other.
Thomas said having police out in the community more has helped drive down robberies by a third last year.