LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Overall crime in the city of Los Angeles dipped slightly in the first half of the year, but the number of killings soared to its highest level in more than a decade, according to a report released July 16. Data compiled by Crosstown, a nonprofit news organization based at the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, show there were 179 killings in the city between Jan 1 and June 30, a 31.6 percent jump from the same period last year and a 38.8 percent increase from 2019. January was the deadliest month of the year so far, with 39 people killed, according to Crosstown. There were 38 killings in June. The city is on pace to surpass last year, when Los Angeles saw more than 300 killings for the first time in more than a decade, Crosstown reported. There were 343 killings in the …