Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced Wednesday that she has fired Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts.

The decision happened almost three months after the city was gripped by riots after 25-year-old Freddie Gray died in police custody. While the rioting died down, violence in the city has surged over the last several weeks.

According to the Associated Press, Baltimore has seen 155 homicides in 2015, an increase of nearly 50 percent over the same time last year.

Rawlings-Blake said effective immediately, Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis would become the interim commissioner.

Both the mayor and the interim commissioner were expected to discuss the change at a 4:15 p.m. press conference.