5 homicides in just 4 hours across New York City
BRONX, New York (WABC) -- It was a violent night across New York City Tuesday into Wednesday, with the NYPD responding to five homicides in four hours.
The most recent was in the Bronx, where authorities say 34-year-old Melquan Cooper was shot in the torso just after 1 a.m. in Grand Concourse.
He was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital.
Police say the gunmen got away on two dirt bikes and are still on the run.
About a half hour earlier, a 24-year-old man was shot in the torso and killed on Lincoln Avenue.
He was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and pronounced dead.
At 11:10 p.m. on Tuesday, a 29-year-old man was shot in his left leg on Thomas Boyland Street.
He was taken to Brookdale Hospital and pronounced dead.
Just minutes earlier, at 10:46 p.m., a 31-year-old man was shot in the torso.
He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital and pronounced dead.
Another man, 26, was found shot in the chest in front of the Brownsville NYCHA Development on Blake Avenue at 9:13 p.m.
He was taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center and pronounced dead.
There are no arrests in any of these murders.
Just last week, the NYPD said gun arrests are up 4% over this time last year, with 2,381 so far in 2022, the highest since 1995.
However, only 20% of those arrested remain behind bars, Chief Michael LiPetri said.
"We're arresting the same people over and over again," Chief of Department Kenneth Corey said.
Still, overall crime in New York City increased by 31.1% in June 2022 compared with June 2021, and high profile incidents continue to create a perception that the city is going in the wrong direction.
NYC Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell conceded there may be a perception of a more dangerous city, but she decried the "perception among criminals that there are no consequences for their actions."
Police commanders say they are in constant contact with prosecutors and have urged state lawmakers to consider whether a suspect is a danger to the community before releasing him without bail.
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