BREAKING Citing violent crime in Atlanta, Georgia governor declares state of emergency and calls up National Guard

Atlanta (CNN)Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday declared a state of emergency and activated as many as 1,000 National Guard members.

Kemp, a Republican, said the executive order follows "weeks of dramatically increased violent crime and property destruction in the City of Atlanta."
The number of shootings and murders in the city was double this year compared with 2019 for the four-week period following Memorial Day, according to police data. During that time, Atlanta also saw violent clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators during protests against police brutality and racism.
Shooting incidents went from 46 in 2019 to 93 this year between May 31 and June 27, while the number of murders spiked from six to 14 year over year for the period, police data shows.
The figures were the deciding factor in Kemp's declaration, the governor's office told CNN Monday.
Over the extended holiday weekend alone, more than 30 Georgians were wounded by gunfire -- including five who died, the Atlanta Police Department and the governor's office said.

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