Shootings in New York City are reportedly increasing since the controversial stop-and-frisk ruling last month. On Aug. 12, federal judge Shira Scheindlin decided that the NYPD's crime-controlling practice was unconstitutional. In the 28 days following her ruling, the New York Post reports that there were 140 shootings in the city, a 13 percent increase over the 120 that had occurred by the same period last year.
Furthermore, gunshot victims increased by 9 percent, as 164 people were hit by bullets, compared to 150 at the same time in 2012. This coincides with a decrease in gun seizures, which have fallen 17 percent from 289 to 239.
Still, NYPD CommissionerRay Kelly says it's too soon to credit these numbers to Scheindlin's decision. "It’s too early to tell," he said at a press conference. "We don’t have enough information to label it a trend, and we don’t know the reason for it."
However, sources told the Post that there's a direct correlation between the two. "Shootings are going through the roof now because perps are not afraid to carry a gun," one source claimed. Another alleged that police have fallen back out of fear of being sued.
[via New York Post and Gothamist]
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