FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 30, 2024
Brooklyn was Safest Ever from Gun Violence During Summer Months with Fewest Shootings and Shooting Homicides in Recorded History
There were 11% Fewer Shootings and 24% Fewer Shooting Homicides in June-August Compared to the Same Period Last Year; About 75% Drop from Summer of 2020 Peak
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that gun violence in Brooklyn over the summer months (June through August) reached the lowest levels ever recorded. There have been 13 shooting homicides over that span, 24% fewer than during the same period last year, and 84 shooting incidents, 11% fewer than in the summer of 2023. The number of shooting victims ticked up by three, making it the second fewest in that category, after last year’s summer.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “The summer months are traditionally the time when gun violence spikes, which is the reason the NYPD and my office focus extra resources and efforts during that period. It is gratifying that, after a particularly safe summer in 2023, we reached even more historic lows this year. While more needs to be done, public safety in Brooklyn continues to improve and our multi-pronged approach in fighting gun crimes – which includes gang takedowns, investments in our Digital Evidence Lab, precision prosecutions, and community-based initiatives – is working.”
The District Attorney said that between June and August, there were 84 shooting incidents in Brooklyn, down 10 (11%) from the same period last year. That is the lowest figure since that statistic has been tracked and represents a precipitous drop of 74% compared to the summer of 2020, when the pandemic and civil unrest combined to create a significant spike in violence. Similarly, shooting homicides during the same span reached the lowest level ever recorded with 13, four fewer (24%) than in 2023, representing a whopping 79% decline compared to 2020. (There were 16 non shooting homicides this summer, an unusually high number on account of a tragic quadruple murder and a separate double stabbing; the total number of homicides inched up by three compared to last summer).
The number of shooting victims, at 104, slightly rose by 3 (2.9%) compared to the same time last year but was kept at historically low levels with the summer of 2023 representing the lowest number on record. The number of victims over the summer was only a quarter of the figure during the 2020 summer. Encouragingly, all three stats were better this summer than during the same period in 2018 and 2019, which ended up as the years with the fewest shootings and homicides to date.
Since the start of 2024, the seven major index crime are down 5% in Brooklyn. The DA’s Office has also been successful in the courtroom so far this year, obtaining 72 Supreme Court convictions against 10 acquittals (an 86% trial conviction rate). The Homicide Bureau obtained 18 convictions and the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau convicted 10 defendants. VCE, together with the NYPD, also completed two successful gang takedowns, one at the end of May and one at the end of August, charging a total of 29 individuals. In July, the office hosted a successful gun buyback event, in which 100 firearms were taken off the streets.
These ongoing efforts and many others have all contributed to the ongoing reduction in gun violence and improvements in public safety across Brooklyn.
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