Gun violence in New York City continued this week as 14 people were shot and one person was killed between Thursday and Friday.
One man was killed and 14 people were injured as a result of 10 shootings that took place during a nine-hour period between Thursday night and Friday morning, according to ABC 7 New York.
There have been 540 shooting incidents so far this year. The number of shooting incidents in the city was 365 this time last year.
The flurry of shootings follows the news that more than 100 people were wounded and at least six died as a result of 83 shootings in a nine-day period from June 19 to June 27.
The crime spree comes as the city council, with support from Mayor Bill de Blasio, voted to slash $1 billion from the New York Police Department budget in response to calls for police reform following George Floyd’s death in police custody.
NYPD Chief of Department Terry Monahan told local news outlets that there were multiple reasons for the increase in shootings, including the controversial new bail reform law in the state, the unrest following Floyd’s death, and animosity toward police officers.
“If you listen to the city council, they want less policing. They want to defund the police, but as I look out there right now with the violence going on, it’s not a good sign. We need some clarity from the city council and from the communities we serve, exactly how they want to be policed,” Monahan said.
