New York City murders down, gun arrests up in July, NYPD statistics show

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Raw video: Mayor unveils July crime statisticsMurders decreased and gun arrests were up in July, Mayor Bill de Blasio said as he outlined the month's crime statistics.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Murders in New York City decreased by nearly 50% in July, while gun arrests increased by almost the same amount, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday.

The gun arrests statistic is impressive when compared to 2020, the mayor said.

The 383 arrests reported by the NYPD in July represent a 133.5% increase compared to last July.

The announcement comes amid ongoing, widespread concern about violent crime across the city.

Crimes reported just Wednesday night into this morning included two innocent people hurt on an MTA bus after gunfire broke out on a street in Queens; an apparent road rage incident in which two brothers in a car were stabbed by suspects on e-scooters; and 14 people injured as a driver fleeing police caused chaos along a street in the Bronx.

De Blasio acknowledged challenges in making the city safer remain.

But he insisted that law enforcement and the court system are finally getting the upper hand following an extraordinary year.

"We saw a perfect storm of problems, challenges, crises all hitting together in 2020 like nothing we have ever seen in our lives," de Blasio said. "But we are fighting back, we are coming back strong."

Additional crime statistics released Thursday by the mayor and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea included the following:

For July:

Murders decreased by 49.1%

Shootings down by 35%

383 gun arrests in July alone, up 133.5% compared to last July

Gun arrests up 44.5% in 2021 compared to this time last year

Since launching Safe summer NYC in May:

-Murders down 26%

-Shootings down 10%

-Shooting victims down 11%

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