(Columbia, SC) -- Murder rates are up in South Carolina.
Preliminary data from the State Law Enforcement Division shows an increase of 51-percent over the last five years.
Murders went up nearly 25-percent from 2019 to 2020 and could increase further in 2021.
Aggravated assaults saw a nine-percent increase, and arsons went up by 21-percent.
SLED says this data is still preliminary, and they will have more detailed statistics later on.