Others ask why the city doesn't pay for more patrols. January 02, 2006 | Megan Garvey | Times Staff Writer. At least 72 people were killed in Compton in 2005, the highest toll in a decade for a city that has ranked among the most dangerous in the nation for 30 years.The rise in homicides frightened residents who have long lived with high levels of gang violence but had seen a downturn in violent crime in recent years.n addition to those killed in 2005, sheriff's gang officials recorded 282 shootings and attempted murders in Compton through the end of November, a nearly 25% increase over the same period the previous year.