More people have been shot in Buffalo so far this year than were shot in the city during all of 2019, according to the latest statistics released by the Buffalo Police Department.
Through last Wednesday, 189 people were either injured or killed in shootings in the city. That total eclipses the 188 people who were shot all of last year.
The total number of people killed in Buffalo also remains ahead of last year's pace.
A Buffalo police official blames low bail amounts and Covid-19's impact on the court system for at least some of the violence.
Through Aug. 7, there were 40 deaths classified as homicides this year in Buffalo. At the same point last year, there were 26.
From Jan. 1 through July 31 of this year, 168 people were injured or killed in shootings in Buffalo. Over the same period last year, 105 people were shot. That's an increase of 60% from 2019 to 2020.
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted the rise in shootings in Buffalo and in other cities across the state in a news conference Monday.
He said homicides in New York City are up 29% this year, with shootings up 79%.
"It's not just New York City. It's all across the nation," Cuomo said. "It's also in upstate New York. Upstate shooting injuries are up 70% year to year. Albany shootings up 240. Buffalo 66%. Rochester 54%. Syracuse 130%. It's not just New York City."
Cuomo spoke about the troubling rise in shootings while introducing new guidance on police reform that was distributed to all 500 law enforcement agencies in the state.
Buffalo's uptick in violence this year had already been apparent. Shootings in the city were up 54% over the first half of the year. The first six months were also more deadly, in terms of homicides, than any other January-through-June period since at least 2007, according to a Buffalo News analysis of police data.
Police earlier this year attributed the uptick in shootings to a number of factors, including the pandemic and an increase in what they termed "pop-up" parties.
The number of shootings in Buffalo was down last year – 2019 saw the fewest number of people shot since at least 2011, according to a Buffalo News analysis of police department data.
Last month, the police department started conducting weekly "shoot reviews" – a new initiative for Buffalo consisting of weekly meetings with several units, district chiefs and representatives from other law enforcement agencies – which officials said were aimed at reducing gun violence. They're also now reviewing all of the gun defendants from the previous cases.
The increase in shootings started at the beginning of the year, said Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia who believes the bail reform laws that went into effect Jan. 1 have played a role in the rise in shootings.
While gun possession still qualifies for bail, he said that "gun defendants are being let out on low bail," even with the district attorney's office ask for higher bail.
"We're talking about violent crime. We're not talking about nonviolent property crime situations," Gramaglia said.
This weekend, Gramaglia said, a man who was arrested for allegedly being in possession of a loaded firearm while wanted on burglary and menacing charges was let out on bail that Gramaglia believes was too low. Within two hours of being released, he was shot. The man's injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Covid-19 also ground the court system to a halt, which also may be a contributing factor to the rise in shootings, Gramaglia said.
-Albany Bureau Chief Tom Precious contributed to this report.
