NYC Murders Down 49% In July, Crime Stats Show

NEW YORK CITY — A wave of violent crime across New York City rolled back in July for the second month in a row, newly released crime statistics show.

But the 49 percent drop in murders and 35 percent decline in shootings, while improvements from July 2020, are still above pre-pandemic levels, data shows.

Still, Mayor Bill de Blasio and law enforcement officials touted the numbers as a hopeful sign that their anti-violence efforts are making a difference.

"More to do, but real evidence of fighting back,” de Blasio said during his Thursday briefing.

Violence has gripped the city starting in summer 2020 — a crime wave de Blasio repeatedly blamed on a "perfect storm" of social disruptions swirling around the coronavirus pandemic.

But critics, including embattled Gov. Andrew Cuomo, cast blame for the surge on de Blasio's perceived hands-off approach to crime.

De Blasio in May unveiled his own strategy dubbed "Safe Summer NYC," a mix of community-focused measures and targeted NYPD enforcement on violent hotspots and guns.

The approach is working, de Blasio said Thursday, citing statistics showing murders down 26 percent and a 10 percent drop in shootings since it started.

July's violent crime statistics showed greater signs of improvement.

Cops counted 29 murders that month compared to 57 in July 2020, statistics show.

There were 158 shooting incidents in July, compared to 243 the year before, according to the numbers.

Commissioner Dermot Shea also highlighted the number of gun arrests NYPD officers have conducted in the past year. They closed 2020 with the most gun arrests in 25 years, he said.

"Already this year, building on that, we are up 44 percent," he said.

NYPD officers made 83 gun arrests in July, a 133.5 percent increase from the same month last year, statistics show.

Shea and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark touted recent takedowns of gangs involved in financial crimes, shootings and murders.

But for all the improvements from last year, violent crime is still higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Murder is up 35 percent from 2019 and shooting incidents increased 100 percent from that year, according to NYPD crime statistics.