NYC shootings fall in June, continuing monthslong trend

Shootings in New York City fell sharply in June and for the first six months of the year compared to 2022, according to NYPD data released Thursday.

Auto thefts remain a challenge and cops keep seizing guns, the NYPD said, but the downward shooting trend extended into the July Fourth weekend, when gun violence — historically known to surge around the holiday — dropped markedly from previous years.

NYPD officials pointed to the latest department data on shootings as proof their summer violence reduction plans were working.

"So far in 2023 nearly 200 fewer New Yorkers have been shot, compared to first six months of 2022," said acting Police Commissioner Edward Caban at a crime briefing at police headquarters.

"That is not just a number," Caban added, "that is hundreds of real people …."

For June, New York City saw a 16.8% drop in shooting incidents compared to the same month in 2022, according to the official data released by Caban.

Shootings have fallen for the past 13 weeks, the commissioner said. 

For the July Fourth holiday, which unofficially ran from July 1 until 8 a.m. Wednesday, the NYPD reported 23 shootings, compared to 43 in 2022, according to Caban, a decrease of nearly 50%.

Serious felonies in June were down about 4% compared to the same period in 2022. For the first six months of 2023, serious felonies remained within about 1% of last year, with declines in homicides of 3.1% for June and about 10% for the year so far, according to police data.

But the flood of guns on the street continues. So far in 2023 cops have seized 3,200 guns, a slight decline from 3,400 in 2022, said NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael LiPetri at the briefing. The city could come close to matching the full year totals of gun seizures made last year, LiPetri told Newsday separately.

“There are still far too many illegal guns on our streets and too many criminals who carry them to pull the trigger,” Caban said.

One new crime trend on the rise is has old as the city itself — pickpocketing. Often it's carried out by professionals against both tourists and day-to-day New Yorkers, said LiPetri, adding that the number of complaints were up 100% from 2022.

“It is something we have not seen at this level in a very long time,” LiPetri said of the pickpockets.

Auto thefts have also spiked so far in 2023, with 40% carried out by suspects under the age of 18, LiPetri said. Since the pandemic auto theft has steadily risen, with the 2022 and 2023 trends exacerbated by thieves targeting Hyunda and Kia vehicles, he said.

Chief of Patrol John Chell said cops have redoubled efforts aimed at pursuing and catching criminals committing vehicular or other crimes on city streets.

“People thinking they can take off on us, "Chell said, "those days are over."

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.