Brooklyn ends 2024 as safest year on record for gun violence and major crime

January 3, 2025 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

A graph of Brooklyn shooting victims 2014-2024. Shootings and shooting victims in Brooklyn reached their lowest levels on record in 2024, surpassing previous lows set in 2019 and 2017, respectively.

Shootings and shooting victims in Brooklyn reached their lowest levels on record in 2024, surpassing previous lows set in 2019 and 2017, respectively. Image courtesy of Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez's office

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Brooklyn achieved a historic milestone in 2024, becoming safer than ever with record lows in shootings, shooting victims and homicides.

District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Tuesday that shootings decreased by 15%, victims by 14%, and homicides by 6% compared to the previous year. Total serious crimes also fell nearly 6%, marking a significant return to pre-pandemic safety levels.

“Brooklyn continues to get safer year after year, and we’re now the safest we’ve ever been in terms of gun violence, with shootings and shooting victims reaching record lows,” Gonzalez said. “Murders and other serious crime declined as well in 2024 as we return to pre-pandemic levels.

“This tremendous success is a testament to the productive partnerships between my office, the NYPD and our law enforcement partners; to the technological investments we’ve made in crime-solving tools; and to our comprehensive approach that uses preventative measures and community-centered strategies to reduce shootings,” Gonzalez continued. “While we still have much work to do, I am optimistic that we will keep building on this progress into 2025 and beyond.”

Brooklyn recorded 287 shooting incidents, down from 338 in 2023, breaking its previous record of 290 incidents set in 2019. Shooting victims also dropped to 345, an 18-person decrease from 2019. Shooting-related homicides fell 16%, from 75 in 2023 to 63 this year.

A graph of Brooklyn homicides 2015-2024. Brooklyn homicides dropped to their lowest point since 2019, though they remain slightly above the 2018 record of 98 homicides. Image courtesy of Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez's office — Brooklyn homicides dropped to their lowest point since 2019, though they remain slightly above the 2018 record of 98 homicides. Image courtesy of Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s office

The borough experienced its safest summer ever, with shootings between June and August dropping by 11%. Significant reductions in homicides occurred in neighborhoods such as East New York (down 48%), East Flatbush (down 41%), and Fort Greene (down 50%).

Total index crimes, encompassing Brooklyn’s most serious offenses, declined by 5.9%. While categories like robberies, burglaries, grand larcenies, and car thefts saw drops, rapes and felony assaults ticked slightly upward.

The DA’s Office also secured justice in high-profile cases, including the conviction of four gang members responsible for multiple homicides, including the tragic killing of 1-year-old Davell Gardner Jr. Another trial resulted in a construction company owner receiving a jail sentence for shoddy work that caused a wall collapse, killing 5-year-old Alysson Pinto-Chaumana.

Brooklyn led efforts against cryptocurrency fraud with its new Cyber Currency Unit. The unit dismantled over 200 domains linked to scams targeting Russian speakers, dating site users, and NFT artists while launching public education campaigns to inform Brooklyn residents about these schemes.

The Conviction Review Unit, hailed as a national model, reached a milestone with its 40th exoneration since its 2014 creation, surpassing all other New York City DA offices combined.