NEW YORK — Gun arrests made by the NYPD continued to surge in October as the number of murders and shootings dropped citywide compared with the same month last year, officials said Wednesday.
But with New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams less than two months away from taking office, the year will end with violent crime still significantly more prevalent than in 2019.
The city has seen 399 murders through October, 2% less than the 407 victims by the same point last year. But this year’s homicide rate is still a 42% rise from the 282 victims through the same time frame in 2019.
There have been 1,588 people shot so far this year citywide, 1% less than the 1,596 shot by this time last year. But that’s still double the 795 victims during the same time frame two years ago.
At a Wednesday press conference Mayor Bill de Blasio noted that even though the court system is not yet functioning at pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels the rate of violent crime has slowed since the summer, with many neighborhoods across the city showing decreases compared with last year and some approaching 2019 levels.
NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison noted a 14% increase in gun arrests this year, with 3,808 busts through October compared with 3,343 by this time last year. By focusing on known criminals police have helped sharply reduce the number of shootings the last five months, Harrison said.
“The department is seeing positive progress in our decreases in shootings across the city,” Harrison said.
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