Brooklyn saw spike of gun violence, homicide in July despite overall crime decrease • Brooklyn Paper

A spate of shootings and homicides in Brooklyn marred what was otherwise a relatively crime-free month in the borough, per the latest NYPD statistics.

Across Kings County, the overall rate of major felonies dropped by about 13% between July 1-28 when compared to the same period last year. Both of the borough’s patrols saw a decrease in violent crime consistent with the drop in crime year-to-date, the data show.

But that doesn’t mean all was rosy. In Brooklyn South, despite a 9.77% drop in major felonies, police reported spikes in murder, rape, assault, and grand larceny auto — with a total of nine murders, 24 rapes, 281 assaults and 182 vehicle thefts between July 1-28. Burglary, robbery, and grand larceny, meanwhile, all decreased.

Rates of six of seven major felonies fell in Brooklyn North, but murder spiked by 100%, with six murders reported during the 28-day period. Since the start of 2024, 43 homicides have occurred in the patrol, up 13.2% year-over-year.

Shootings, too, have increased in Brooklyn North. At least 20 shooting incidents were reported in the patrol between July 1-28, a 42.9% increase from the same period last year. Year-to-date, shootings have jumped 9.8% in the patrol, for a total of 123 separate incidents. 

The month started with a chaotic standoff in Bedford-Stuyvesant after cops responding to a 911 call found a man with multiple gunshot wounds inside a Halsey Street apartment and attempted to take the gunman into custody. 

On July 9, a 25-year-old was shot in the hand during an apparent road rage dispute in Midwood. In the following weeks, two men were fatally shot in two days in the 79th Precinct, including one who was allegedly killed after an argument outside a Franklin Avenue dollar store. 

A single gunman shot three men, killing two, near a Clinton Hill migrant shelter on the night of July 21, drawing protests from locals who say two shelters in the area have brought an uptick in crime and other issues to the nabe.

Police believe the suspect fatally shot 30-year-old Arturo Jose Rodriguez-Marcano near Steuben Playground at 11:44 p.m. Minutes later, he opened fire outside 29 Ryerson St., killing 21-year-old Enny DeJesus Urbina Mendez suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and striking another man, who survived, in the head. 

As of July 29, police had still not arrested the gunman. Two days after the shooting, neighbors rallied — claiming the city has not provided enough resources for two large migrant shelters in Clinton Hill or for the neighborhood itself. Police believe all three of the victims of the July 21 shooting were either homeless or lived in one of the nearby shelters.