NYPD Says Gun Arrests Are Way Up, But Violence Was Much The Same Over Labor Day Weekend
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD has made a record number of gun arrests, but it was still another violent weekend in the Big Apple.
Four people died in shootings. Two dozen others were wounded, including a 7-year-old boy, CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported Tuesday.
Five people shot in a crowd at an unofficial J'Ouvert gathering just before 3 a.m. Monday at the corner of Crown Street and Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn. A bullet pierced a 7-year-old boy's leg, and his mom, Patricia Braithwaithe, said she was struck in the foot she was coming home.
"A group of people was walking down the block and I was waiting for them to pass and somebody started to shoot," Brathwaite said.
Her son is recovering from surgery at a local hospital.
MORE: Tracking Shootings In New York City
Police charged 15-year-old Donovan Bailey as an adult with attempted murder and assault. It's not clear who he targeted, but sources believe it was gang related. A 21-year-old is also facing weapons charges, Rozner reported.
"Except for that incident, overwhelmingly, we had a peaceful weekend in central Brooklyn," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
But it was one of 22 shooting incidents city-wide that police said took place from Friday to Monday of the Labor Day Weekend.
Four died, including 62-year-old Michael Scully, who was walking his dog on Monday morning in Bay Ridge when police said he got into an argument with a man who shot him multiple times in the head and shoulders.
NYPD stats show murders year to date are up 35% compared to the same period last year, while shooting victims are up more than 97%.
Gun arrests in the last month are on the rise, up more than 36% compared to the same time frame last year.
The NYPD's top brass touted that on the radio.
"We hit a 25-year high on gun arrests," Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said.
"One of the things that have shown success in curbing the violence is putting cops on overtime," Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams are calling for $200 million more in funding for groups that help de-escalate violence.
They said this weekend there was not enough funding for the nonprofits to intervene between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.
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