As Shootings Rise in NY, More than 3K Gun Suspects Freed from Prison

By: Rusty Brooks

NYPD said in a press release: the year so far has presented significant public safety challenges with gun violence continuing to afflict New Yorkers across the city. As shootings continued their upward trajectory in November, citywide shooting incidents through the first eleven months of 2020 surged to levels unseen in years.

Nearly 90 percent of suspects arrested on gun charges this year are back on the streets, which the NYPD says has fueled a historic spike in shootings that have left more than 1,756 dead or wounded.

About 3,345 of the 3,793 perps arrested between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 for firearms crimes — 88 percent — were let go, according to department data. Just 450 remain in jail, the NYPD told The Post.

The main reasons for violent criminals being released back into the general population can be attributed to failed progressive policies such as bail reform and the early release of prisoners due to the pandemic.

NY Post reported:

“We have made staggering numbers of gun arrests, taking guns off the streets from felons … but when you look, three days later, four days later, those individuals are back on the street committing more gun violence,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Tuesday while announcing shootings have climbed to 1,433 and are on track to reach a 14-year high by the end of 2020. By Thursday, the NYPD had logged an additional 18 shootings, bringing the total to 1,451, the department said.

Gun arrests for the month of November are up +112.3% (484 v. 228), driving a +22.2% increase in citywide gun arrests (3,793 v. 3,104) compared with the same period a year ago. Going forward, the NYPD will continue to cultivate information to arrest anyone willing to purchase, carry or sell an illegal firearm in New York City.

Still, shootings have victimized far too many. For November, there was a +112.5% (115 v. 51) increase in shootings citywide. And shootings have risen +95.8% (1,412 v. 721) through the first 11 months of 2020, compared with the same period last year. Notable in the gun violence is an emerging trend the NYPD is weaving into its precision-driven enforcement approach: 40% of those accused of a shooting have had a past gun possession arrest, while 21% of shooting victims have had one.

On violent crime, homicides have also risen both for the month and the year. November saw 28 people murdered in the five boroughs, five more than were killed last November. So far in 2020, there has been a +38.4% increase (422 v. 305) in the number of victims murdered in New York City compared to last year.