Over 1,000 Shot in NYC Since June, Getting Worse by the Month

New York Police Department (NYPD) officers walk past a dumpster fire in front of the Hampton Inn in New York City on May 31, 2020. Justin Heiman/Getty Images

Violence in New York City is getting worse as NYPD data shows 1,017 people were shot, fatally and otherwise, between June 1 and Sept. 20.

The violence has escalated since late May, coinciding with the riots in response to the death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis. The data indicates the shooting trend is still accelerating compared to the year before.

In April, 64 were shot in the city, down from 67 in April 2019. In May, 113 were shot, up nearly 55 percent from the same month in 2019. In June, 270 were shot, making for a year-over-year increase of more than 150 percent. In July, 301 were shot, up nearly 160 percent year over year. In August, 310 were shot, up almost 200 percent year over year. In September, so far, 136 were shot, which is up almost 210 percent year over year.

Meanwhile, murder is up 60 percent year over year since May. The city hasn’t seen such levels of violence since the mid-1990s.

The NYPD has blamed the surge in crime on a series of policies that have complicated the department’s work.

Last year’s bail reform banned judges from requiring cash bail for most nonviolent and some lower-level violent crimes, resulting in criminals getting quickly back on the street after arrests.

The city also outlawed officers from pressing their knee against a suspect’s back or chest during an arrest.

Police officers and experts have criticized the law for criminalizing martial arts techniques routinely used by police to safely subdue resisting subjects. They warned it will lead police to use more severe methods, such as tasers, or avoid arrests altogether.

Some NYPD officers told The Epoch Times on the condition of anonymity that officers are hesitant to arrest resisting suspects, unless they pose a present danger to the officers or the public.

Only a small portion of people released due to the reform have been involved in shootings, The New York Post reported. But the officers cited the reform as a demoralizing factor that makes their efforts seem pointless.

Filings for retirement from the NYPD increased more than 160 percent between May 25 and Aug. 11, compared to the same period in 2019.

Mayor Bill de Blasio blamed the violence on the economic impact of lockdowns related to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic after initially blaming the slowdown of the court system. The Office of Court Administration rejected the blame, saying many of the court proceedings have continued virtually, the New York Daily News reported.

On Sept. 24, de Blasio promised that “a number of very specific plans” will be introduced over the coming weeks to address the violence.

“The solution is to work with communities, and that’s what neighborhood policing is all about,” he said, PIX11 reported.

The following day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the violence “wholly unacceptable,” calling on the city government to “step up and lead.”

“If none of them want to lead it, I will find someone to lead it,” he said.