FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Brooklyn Had the Fewest Shootings and Shooting Victims on Record,
Beating Pre-Pandemic Lows; Murders and Serious Crime Down by Some 6%
Shootings Decreased by 15%, Shooting Victims by 14% Compared to Previous Year,
Improving on Previous Record Low from 2019; Shooting Homicides Went Down by 16%
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that 2024 marked the safest year for gun violence in Brooklyn’s history, with the fewest shooting incidents and shooting victims besting previous lows from 2019. Shootings decreased by 15%, shooting victims by 14%, and homicides by 6% compared to 2023. Total serious crime was down by 5.9%. This historic progress was achieved as the DA’s Office tried an increased number of cases, notching a high trial conviction rate; enhanced resources to address cryptocurrency scams; and continued its exemplary work of correcting wrongful convictions, exonerating the 40th individual in the span of a decade.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Brooklyn continues to get safer year after year and we’re now the safest we’ve ever been in terms of gun violence, with shootings and shooting victims reaching record lows. Murders and other serious crime declined as well in 2024 as we return to pre-pandemic levels. This tremendous success is a testament to the productive partnerships between my office, the NYPD and our law-enforcement partners; to the technological investments we’ve made in crime-solving tools; and to our comprehensive approach that uses preventative measures and community-centered strategies to reduce shootings. While we still have much work to do, I am optimistic that we will keep building on this progress into 2025 and beyond.”
The District Attorney said that there were 287 shooting incidents in Brooklyn this year, down 51 or 15% compared to the 338 in 2023. This is the lowest number since record keeping began, improving on the 290 shootings recorded in 2019. There were 54 fewer shooting victims – 345 compared to 399, or down 14%. That’s 18 fewer victims from the previous low of 363, also recorded in 2019. Shooting related homicides dropped from 85 in 2022 and 75 in 2023 to only 63 this year (a 16% drop compared to last year). These milestones came after the safest summer in Brooklyn, when shootings between June and August dropped by 11%. They are part of an ongoing trend of shootings and shooting victims in Brooklyn declining year after year since the 2020 spike amid a global pandemic and social unrest.
There were eight fewer murders this year compared to last, or a 6% decline. Besides the 63 shooting deaths, there were 29 fatal stabbings and 11 blunt force killings. Homicides significantly decreased in neighborhoods including East New York (down 11 or 48%), East Flatbush (down 7 or 41%), and Fort Greene (down 3 or 50%). Total index crimes, which aggregates the most serious felonies, were down 5.9% in 2024 compared to the previous year with decreases in robberies, burglaries, grand larcenies and grand theft auto (rapes and felony assaults ticked up). [All stats are based on the NYPD’s Compstat report as of today.]
The District Attorney said that there were 113 trials in Supreme Court this year, resulting in 101 convictions and 12 acquittals for an impressive 89% trial conviction rate. One notable trial resulted in the convictions and lengthy prison sentences of four gang members for a series of shootings and homicides, one of which claimed the life of 1-year-old Davell Gardner Jr. Another trial resulted in a jail sentence against a construction company owner whose shoddy work led to a wall collapse that killed 5-year-old Alysson Pinto-Chaumana.
In 2024, the Brooklyn DA’s Office made groundbreaking strides in the fight against cryptocurrency scams and other cyber frauds. With a new Cyber Currency Unit, the office is disrupting numerous schemes that target residents of all stripes – including operations in the Russian and Chinese communities – with sophisticated methods aimed at fraudulently separating people from their money. The unit dismantled more than 20 domains linked to scams targeting dating site users, shut down about 140 domains connected to fake investment opportunities that preyed on Russian speakers, and another 40 domains connected to an NFT fraud targeting artists. Beyond using innovative techniques to disrupt these criminal operations, the DA’s Office has launched an educational campaign with seminars throughout Brooklyn, flyers and media appearances to inform the public and share warning signs and tips to avoid these devastating financial crimes.
Brooklyn’s Conviction Review Unit cemented its status as a national gold standard by exonerating the 40th individual since its creation in 2014 — surpassing the 34 exonerations recommended by all other DA’s offices in the city combined during the same period and ranking among the highest of any DA’s office nationwide. The critical work of the unit continues into 2025.
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