NYC Murders, Shootings Drop In June: NYPD

NEW YORK CITY — Violent crime in June dropped across New York City, but officials stressed there's still "more work to do."

Murders fell 23 percent last month compared to June 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

De Blasio announced that year-to-year drop — along with a 19.5 percent decrease in shootings and a 26 percent decline in shooting victims — in a dual presentation Tuesday with NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea.

Gun arrests increased 99 percent from the same point a year ago, according to the data.

"The message is simple: anyone that is carrying an illegal firearm in New York City has to have consequences and should be taken off the street,” Shea said.

The declines could be sign recent NYPD and community anti-violence efforts are paying off.

Shootings and murders exploded over the coronavirus pandemic. The crime wave helped make public safety the biggest issue during the recent mayoral primary.

De Blasio and Shea have stressed patience that a spate of efforts — from increased focused on gun arrests, to gang takedowns, to community-based outreach — will eventually turn the tide.

"For June, as the mayor said, we started to reverse the trend that we've been seeing since last May of increase gun violence," Shea said.

There were 165 shooting incidents in June this year, compared to 205 last year, according to NYPD data.

NYPD officers made 361 gun arrests last month, data shows.

And Shea said seven recent "critical" gang takedowns took 94 people off the streets who were tied to 43 "provable" acts of violence.

"It's progress, but we know we have so much more work to do," he said.