Brooklyn Shootings Dropped 25% In 2023; Murders Down: DA

BROOKLYN, NY — Shootings dropped by 25 percent in 2023 across Brooklyn, with some neighborhoods seeing even more dramatic life-saving improvements, according to a report from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.

The year-end summary showed gun activity across the borough decreasing. The borough had 147 fewer shooting victims in 2023 compared to the year before — a 27 percent drop, according to District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

Brooklyn saw 337 shooting incidents in 2023, compared to 449 the year before.

"These are not just numbers; these are 150 fewer people suffering gunshot injuries that would have altered their lives forever," Gonzalez said.

Other crimes also trended downward over the last year, with murders down 10 percent compared to 2022 and major crimes decreasing slightly overall.

Only two major crime categories saw slight upticks in Brooklyn in 2023: felony assault and car thefts, according to Gonzalez.

Nowhere was the drop-off more dramatic than in Brooklyn's 73rd Precinct, which covers Brownsville and Ocean Hill and saw a 67 percent decrease in murders, according to Gonzalez. The area also saw a 30 percent decrease in shootings in 2023, according to Gonzalez.

In East New York's 75th Precinct, shootings dropped by 32 percent, and in Bed-Stuy's 81st Precinct, shootings dropped by 47 percent.

The entire city saw a slight drop in overall crime, a trend Mayor Eric Adams said was an indication the city was "turning the corner."

Across the city, overall crime fell 0.3 percent last year compared to 2022, according to NYPD statistics officially unveiled Wednesday.

Even still, New York City has not yet returned to the pre-coronavirus pandemic record low crime levels experienced during the final years under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

And Brooklyn still saw a number of shootings that shook its communities, including the police shooting of a 78-year-old man in Bed-Stuy and the dramatic shooting of a father and son at the hands of their Flatbush Gardens neighbor, according to police.

A shooting at a Home Depot parking lot in September shocked Bed-Stuy and left a mother mourning her 26-year-old daughter.

"As we look to 2024, I am hopeful and confident that we can continue to make our borough safer and strengthen trust in the justice system," Gonzalez said.