New York had fewer shootings, shooting victims and murders in summer 2026 than in any summer since records began.
In the first eight months of the year, the number of murders has fallen by 24.1 percent compared to the same period last year.
In the city’s public housing developments, the number of murders has fallen by 52 percent so far this year.
Records during the summer months
Between June 1 and August 31, the New York Police Department, NYPD, recorded 195 shootings. That is 32 fewer than the previous record low of 227, set in 2025. The number of people who were shot was 249. The previous record was 293, from 2018. The number of murders was 66, compared to the previous record low of 78 from 2017.
The summer is part of a longer trend. During the first eight months of the year, there were 442 shootings, 538 people were shot and 173 people were murdered. All three figures are the lowest ever recorded for that period.
Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch points out that this happened while the city hosted the NBA Finals, the World Cup, Sail 250 and the largest Fourth of July celebration in the country.
Large declines in August
In August, the number of shootings fell by 20.8 percent compared to August 2025, from 77 to 61. The number of people shot fell by 37.7 percent, from 122 to 76.
Major crime as a whole fell by 6.6 percent in August. That equals 724 fewer crimes. So far this year, more than 5,000 fewer major crimes have been reported.
The number of murders fell by 34.3 percent in August. In Manhattan, there were only two murders during the entire month. Car thefts fell by 16.2 percent, robberies by 13.3 percent and burglaries by 9.1 percent. The number of burglaries in August was the lowest ever recorded.
This year, police have carried out 25 gang takedowns and seized more than 3,630 illegal guns.
The Bronx leads the decline
The Bronx has the largest decline in major crime of New York’s five boroughs. So far this year, it has fallen by 11.9 percent. In August, the number of murders in the Bronx fell by 35.7 percent and car thefts by 36.2 percent.
Subway and public housing
In the subway, there were no murders, no shootings and no rapes in August. The number of robberies was 27, the lowest for August since records began. The previous record was 35 robberies, from 2016.
In the city’s public housing developments, there were no murders in August. The number of shootings fell by 65 percent, from 20 to 7. So far this year, shootings in these areas have fallen by 40.6 percent and murders by 52 percent.
Efforts where violence is highest
On May 4, police launched a special plan to reduce violence during the summer. Officers were deployed to the places and times where violence most often occurs. In these zones, major crime has fallen by 23.2 percent since the start. Shootings have fallen by 33.3 percent and robberies by 30 percent.
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