Some gunmen in New York City are no longer waiting for the cover of night to carry out their crimes.
The number of shootings that took place during the hours between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. more than doubled in New York City in the last three months compared to the same time frame in 2019.
Daytime shootings were up 137%, according to data from the New York City Police Department that was obtained by Fox News. In 2019, 71 daytime shootings took place from May to July, but in 2020, 168 daytime shootings took place over the same months. June was the most violent month, with 64 shootings. From May to July, there were 192 victims in 2020 compared to 85 victims during the same time frame in 2019.
The increase in daytime shootings follows a violent trend in New York City. The total number of shootings nearly doubled for the first seven months of the year compared to the same time frame in 2019.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has blamed the surged in shootings on boredom that has stemmed from the uptick in unemployment following the coronavirus pandemic. Police data has also shown that enforcement of violent crime has plummeted in recent months, with the number of arrests for gun crimes declining while the number of shootings is skyrocketing.
