At least 23 people were shot in New York City over 3-day period

At least 23 people were shot in New York City – four of them fatally – during a 72 hour-period, according to the city’s police department. The data examined shootings from Friday, September 23rd, through Sunday night.

Two of the gun deaths took place in Brooklyn, and two occurred in the Bronx, according to the NYPD. No one had been arrested in connection with any of the homicides as of Monday morning.

The weekend’s tally is an uptick from one week ago, which saw 19 people shot.

However, overall gun violence in New York City this year is on the decline.

Through Sunday night, 1,246 people have been shot across New York City this year, according to an NYPD spokesperson. That’s an 11 percent decrease compared to the same time period one year ago, though shootings remain higher than pre pandemic levels.

A recent analysis of the city’s gun violence from New York City’s Public Advocate Jumaane Williams found that neighborhoods with the highest rates of gun violence also had higher levels of unemployment and unaffordable housing.

One of the homicides occurred Saturday night just before midnight, police said. Jose Alvarado, 45, was shot in the head on Hunts Point Avenue in the Bronx. He was rushed to nearby Lincoln Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Three people were shot to death on Sunday in separate incidents. In Bushwick, Brooklyn, a 28-year-old man identified as Romello Hayes was fatally shot in the chest. He died later that evening at the hospital, NYPD officials said.

In the Bronx, on Sunday evening, 17-year-old Jordany Aracena was shot down the block from his home in Mott Haven. He was taken to Lincoln Hospital and died from his wounds.

Police had not yet been able to identify the fourth victim in the weekend’s gun deaths. They said a man was shot early Sunday morning at the intersection of Fulton Street and Ashford Street in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. Two other men were injured in the incident, though both are in stable condition, police said.

“Shootings are down and homicides are down, which is always good news,” said Joseph Giacalone, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a retired NYPD detective. But he noted recent data from Mayor Eric Adams' office showing increases in rapes, robberies and felony assaults, and pointed to staff attrition at the NYPD, among other issues. “All of the other crimes are way off the charts so we’re dealing with some serious problems.”