One look at the latest batch of NYPD crime data statistics paints a glaring picture: The number of shootings so far in 2022 has already surpassed the totals from a few recent years.
What does that actually look like? According to the city, police have recorded 816 shooting incidents since Jan. 1, a figure that accounts for more than some entire years' totals in New York City in just the last decade. There were 789 shooting incidents in all of 2017, just 754 in 2018, and 776 in 2019.
That statistic alone doesn't tell the entire story, however. Year-to-date, shootings in 2022 (862) are actually down from last year, but up slightly from 2020 (723). That's actually normal if you take a look at a chart of the shootings recorded over the past 30 years.
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WATCH HERESince 1997, there have only been four consecutive years where the year-to-date stats consistently drop. Most often, every other year, or every three years, there's a slight increase.
In fact, the jump in shootings between 2019 and 2020 was the largest in over 30 years, and the year-to-date figure was still one of the lowest during that period. Only seven other years had fewer shootings in the same time period than 2020.
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This year is much more in line with years between 2001 and 2012, when shooting incidents in the first seven months hovered between 700 and 800. There was about a seven-year run through 2019 when that same time period saw much fewer shootings.
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In the three years leading up to the pandemic, shootings were almost half what they show for January through July of this year.
Compared to 2021, from Jan. 1 to July 31, the number of shootings in 2022 are down 8.7% and the victims injured in those incidents is also down, by around 6%.
Arrests involving guns have already seen progress from last year, based on city data. The number of arrests is up 2.4% and gun-related charges up 21%, a sign that more people are being arrested and charged for gun crimes.
