Gun violence on the rise in New York

There were 36 shootings and 43 victims last week

NEW YORK (EFE) .— Armed violence in this city continues to increase and, after the shooting in broad daylight in Times Square attributed to a dispute last Saturday, the weekly number of victims of this type of event doubled those of the same dates last year, according to the local police.

Authorities registered 36 shootings that left 43 victims last week, more than double compared to the same period last year, coinciding with the dates when a wave of violence began in the city in parallel to the coronavirus crisis.

The Times Square shooting injured three pedestrians, including a four-year-old girl, and sparked a cross-talk between policy makers, law enforcement and would-be mayor on the causes of the growing gun violence and its possible solution.

Only in April there were 149 incidents of armed violence in the Big Apple, practically triple the number in that section of 2020, and there are already 451 since the beginning of the year, 86% more year-on-year, alarming figures for a summer in which is expected a return of tourism to reactivate the economy.

Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday defended that New York is “an overwhelmingly safe city”, but acknowledged that the economic “return” depends on that security and assured that the police presence in the Times Square area and other points will be reinforced.

“We need better laws to stem the flow of weapons into this country, but for years we have lowered gun violence by working with communities and much of it has been disrupted by the global pandemic,” he said.

“The answer is to bring in jobs, activities and refine police strategies,” he said.

New York Police Chief Dermot Shea warned at a press conference that they have been seizing weapons “at an alarming rate for the past two years” and attributed it to “bad policies.”

The aspiring mayors have taken the opportunity to offer their ideas, such as Andrew Yang or Ray McGuire, who are committed to providing more funds or increasing the police force, which last year saw their budget cut by 1,000 million dollars, while others such as Maya Wiley or Dianne Morales seek a greater financial cut to that institution.

Suspect Victim

Suspect in Times Square shooting identified and victims recovered.

Identity

Authorities revealed the identity of the suspect in the shooting Saturday afternoon over a dispute in Times Square. According to police sources, it is Farrakhan Muhammad, 31 years old and with a criminal record.

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