New York City made headlines this week by going five consecutive days without a shooting, marking the longest stretch without a shooting victim in at least 30 years. The New York Police Department (NYPD) celebrated the achievement, calling it a result of the diligent efforts of their officers.
“For the first time in 30 years, there have been zero shooting victims in New York City for five days. This is the longest we’ve gone without a shooting victim since the beginning of the CompStat era, and it’s a testament to the brave work of the NYPD,” the department stated.
However, the streak was broken just minutes after the announcement. A 34-year-old man was shot in the legs around 10:15 p.m. Thursday in the East New York section of Brooklyn.
The incident occurred after the man crashed his car into another vehicle and got into a verbal altercation with someone who claimed to know the car’s owner. The argument escalated, and the assailant shot the driver twice in the legs. The victim was taken to Brookdale University Hospital in stable condition. The suspect, described as a man in his 60s wearing grey sweatpants, fled the scene on foot.
Later that night, around 1 a.m. on Friday, a 17-year-old was shot in the leg outside a laundromat in the Soundview section of the Bronx. The teen was confronted by two men, one of whom fired the shot before both suspects fled. The assailants were described as having medium complexions and wearing black clothing with blue masks. No arrests have been made in either case.
The two shootings marked the end of an extraordinary five-day stretch with no shootings, a record the city hadn’t seen since the NYPD began keeping detailed records 30 years ago. As of Sunday, 45 people had been shot this year, the same number as at the same point last year. However, shooting incidents have decreased by 25.6%, with 29 incidents recorded this year compared to 39 last year.
Earlier this week, the city reported that the NYPD had seized over 20,000 illegal firearms since Mayor Eric Adams took office in 2022, including more than 1,400 ghost guns. This total is 3,000 more than the number of guns seized during the previous three-year period from 2019 to 2021.
