Gun violence in Brooklyn this summer dropped to the lowest levels ever recorded, according to the borough’s district attorney – a significant accomplishment during the months when shootings tend to spike citywide.
Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez announced Friday that nonfatal shootings between June and August across the borough decreased by 11% compared to the same period last year, and fatal shootings fell by 24%. The drops represent a 74% decrease from the same period in 2020, when the borough had a significant spike in gun violence that also played out in the rest of the city.
For a variety of reasons, including hot weather and more outside activity, crime in mist city’s ticks upward in the summer, making the Brooklyn numbers even more significant. Still, the borough has had the most fatal shootings of any other in the city so far this year and violence is still concentrated in the poorest neighborhoods, according to police and demographic data.
There were 13 fatal shootings in Brooklyn this summer, and 84 total shooting incidents. The Bronx also recorded 13 fatal shootings in the same three months, according to data compiled by Gothamist, and Manhattan recorded 14.
Brooklyn contains seven out of 10 of the gun violence hot spot blocks Gothamist mapped using police data from the last four years. The hot spot blocks are places where at least 10 New Yorkers have been shot over the last four years, according to NYPD incident data.
The number of shooting victims – which is different from shooting incidents, where sometimes no one is hit – ticked up by three people this summer, for a total of 104, according to the DA’s office. That represents just a quarter of the summer 2020 figure.
“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,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
The DA’s office also attributed the summer decreases to two gang takedowns at the end of May and the end of August, where 29 people were charged.
In July, the office hosted a gun buyback event, and reported that 100 firearms were taken off the streets.
Year to date, Brooklyn and the Bronx lead the city in shooting incidents, with both recording a total of 219, according to the most recent NYPD CompStat data. More New Yorkers have died of gun violence in Brooklyn this year than in the other five boroughs – with 52 fatalities. The Bronx reported 37, in comparison.