NYPD Records Fewest Murders, Shootings in Five Months of 2026

The NYPD also broke records for the month of May. In May, there were two fewer shooting incidents compared to the previous record low set in 2025 (51 vs. 53), and seven fewer shooting victims than the previous record also set in 2025 (58 vs. 65).

Overall major crime decreased 10.6% citywide (9,662 vs. 10,809) with 1,147 fewer reported crimes compared to last May. Year to date, major crime was down 6.2% (44,955 vs. 47,929) with reductions in all five boroughs.

The NYPD continued to deliver historic lows in crime in New York City’s public housing with the fewest murders, shooting incidents, shooting victims, and robberies for the first five months of any year in recorded history.

“Across our city, the NYPD is delivering on its mission to keep New Yorkers safe,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “With record lows in murders, shooting incidents, and shooting victims, as well as the safest start to the year in public housing, and continued reductions in subway crime, New Yorkers across every corner of our city are benefitting from a police department that is focused and strategic.

These accomplishments are the result of a precision policing approach that follows the data, goes after guns, takes down gangs, and puts our officers where and when they are needed most.

In the month of May, crime plunged by 10.6% citywide. As we enter the summer and prepare for an unprecedented number of large-scale events, the men and women of the NYPD will continue to put in the hard work necessary to keep New York City safe.”

Historic Lows in Shootings Citywide

In May, the NYPD continued to deploy its precision policing approach to combat gun violence. Year to date, shootings reached a record low of 247, beating the previous low of 262 in 2025, and shooting victims reached a record low of 289, beating the previous record of 309 set in 2019. In May, shooting incidents reached a record low of 51, beating the previous low of 53 set in 2025, and shooting victims reached a record low of 58, beating the previous low of 65 set in 2025.

For the month, shooting incidents and shooting victims dropped compared to last May with a 3.8% (51 vs. 53) and 10.8% (58 vs. 65) decrease, respectively. Year to date, shooting incidents declined 5.7% (247 vs. 262) and shooting victims declined 7.1% (289 vs. 311). Brooklyn led the city with a 47.6% reduction in shooting incidents (11 vs. 21).

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of the safest Memorial Day weekend in the city’s history with only three shooting incidents and four shooting victims across the four-day stretch, from Friday, May 22 through Monday, May 25, breaking last year’s record when there were seven shooting incidents and seven shooting victims.

The NYPD’s sustained efforts to dismantle violent gangs have also contributed to reductions in shootings citywide and the number of guns taken off the streets. So far this year, NYPD detectives have carried out 20 gang-related takedowns, and the department has seized nearly 2,000 guns.

Driving Down Major Crime

Major crime decreased 10.6% in the month of May, and major crime was down 6.2% citywide for the first five months of the year, with reductions in all five boroughs and nearly 3,000 fewer crimes than the same time last year.

Additionally, across major crime categories:

• Murder declined 20.9% (102 vs. 129) year to date, a record low, and there were reductions in all five boroughs;
• Burglary declined 19.5% (871 vs. 1,082) in May, the second lowest in recorded history, and there were double-digit declines in every borough year to date;
• Robbery declined 18.1% (1,165 vs. 1,423) in May and was down 11% year to date (5,198 vs. 5,838);
• Auto theft declined 13% (1,072 vs. 1,232) in May with Manhattan experiencing a 44.3% reduction. Auto theft was down 9.6% year to date (4,734 vs. 5,237);
• Grand larceny declined 12.4% (3,625 vs. 4,136) in May and 4.6% year to date (17,716 vs. 18,576).

Felony assaults increased slightly by 0.4% (2,734 vs. 2,722) in May. Over the past several years, there has been an increase in felony assaults, and the main drivers of those increases are domestic incidents (54% increase since 2020), assaults on police officers (103% increase since 2020), and assaults on other government workers (200% increase since 2020).

To address the rise in domestic violence incidents, Commissioner Tisch created the Domestic Violence Unit within the Detective Bureau, a streamlined unit with 450 domestic violence investigators. So far this year, domestic violence arrests are up 2.9%.

May saw a 10.4% decrease in reported rape incidents (172 vs. 192) compared to the same month last year. In September 2024, legislative changes enacted through the Rape is Rape Act rightfully broadened the legal definition of rape in New York State to include additional forms of sexual assault. Over the month of May, 18% (31) of all reported rapes resulted from the expanded legal definition, and 26% (44) occurred before May 2026. Year to date, rapes have increased 6.7% (893 vs. 837), with 20% (175) resulting from the law change and 32% (287) occurring before 2026. Through the creation of the first-in-the-nation Gender-Based Violence Policy and Training Unit, the NYPD has enhanced its work with advocates to encourage all survivors of sexual assault to come forward and report these incidents.

Retail theft continued its dramatic decline, falling 15% (3,851 vs. 4,528) in May compared to the same period last year. For the year, retail theft has declined in all five boroughs, leading to an 18.8% reduction citywide. The decline reflects the department’s focused approach to addressing retail theft: identifying crime patterns, deploying resources at high-propensity locations during peak hours, and shifting from pass-through enforcement to sustained investigations.

The Bronx Continues to Lead the City

The Bronx continues to lead the city in crime reductions, with the largest year-to-date decrease in major crime of any borough, down 11%. The Bronx also saw the greatest reduction citywide in auto thefts, down 27.1% for the year, and the borough experienced a 15.4% drop in robbery, a 13.7% drop in burglary, and a 13.1% drop in grand larceny for the month. To create a more focused and effective approach to fighting crime in the borough, Commissioner Tisch announced on May 20 the implementation of the new two patrol borough structure in the Bronx, Patrol Borough Bronx North (PBXN) and Patrol Borough Bronx South (PBXS) – the first division of the borough into separate patrol commands in NYPD history. Since the split, the newly created PBXS had the largest decrease in year-to-date index crimes with a 14.5% reduction.

Safest Start to the Year in Public Housing

The NYPD continues to deliver historic crime reductions in public housing developments across the city, breaking the record for murders, shooting incidents, shooting victims, and robberies. So far this year, murders are down a staggering 46.7% (8 vs. 15), shooting incidents are down 24.5% (40 vs. 53), shooting victims are down 30% (42 vs. 60), robberies are down 24.3% (289 vs. 382), and burglaries are down 18.8% (182 vs. 224). Major crime in public housing is down 8.7% (2,196 vs. 2,405) year to date and 11.6% (459 vs. 519) in May.

Keeping New York City’s Subways Safe

Last year was the safest year in New York City’s subway system since 2009, excluding the pandemic years. Building on that progress, major crime is down 1.1% (905 vs. 915) year to date and 6.5% (187 vs. 200) in May. There were zero shooting incidents and shooting victims in the subway system in May. In addition, grand larceny is down 7.2% (436 vs. 470) for the year.

Data-Driven Deployment: Violence Reduction Zones

To further mitigate violent crime and shootings across the city, the department launched its Summer Violence Reduction Plan in May. Since inception on May 4, major crime is down 27.9% (343 vs. 476), shooting victims are down 30.8% (9 vs. 13), and shooting incidents are down 11.1% (8 vs. 9) in the zones during deployment hours. The zones deploy up to 3,800 officers on nightly foot posts across 72 zones in 40 precincts, public housing, and the subway system.

To address youth violence, the department implemented its Youth Violence Safety Zones, modeled after the Violence Reduction Plan. These zones focus on the areas where young people are most at risk — commuter corridors, bus stops, and routes to and from school. Since its inception in September 2025, overall youth-related crime is down 52.7% (185 vs. 391), shooting incidents are down 61.9% (8 vs. 21), and shooting victims are down 60.9% (9 vs. 23) in the zones during deployment hours.

Combatting Hate Crimes

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force (HCTF) investigates allegations of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents. After an incident is flagged as a possible hate crime, the HCTF investigates and determines, in consultation with the NYPD Legal Bureau, whether it constitutes a hate crime under New York State law. If an incident is deemed a hate crime under the law, it will be categorized as a confirmed hate crime. The NYPD provides data on confirmed hate crimes along with the universe of reported hate crimes — whether or not they are ultimately confirmed as hate crimes by the HCTF. The disclosure of both sets of numbers enhances transparency and reflects best practices in connection with hate crime reporting.

In May 2026, the HCTF confirmed 68 incidents as hate crimes and there were 98 incidents reported as hate crimes. Confirmed hate crimes are up by 74.4% (68 vs. 39) compared to the previous May. More than half of all confirmed hate crimes for the month, or 60.3%, were anti-Jewish, despite Jewish New Yorkers making up only 10% of the city’s population.

Year to date, the number of confirmed hate crimes increased by 8.6%, with 21 more confirmed hate crime incidents compared to the year prior (265 vs. 244).

All crime statistics are preliminary and subject to further analysis, revision, or change.

Major Crime Statistics: May 2026

Additional Statistics: May 2026

Rape Incident Reporting Statistics: May 2026

(Reports filed from May 1–May 31 in years indicated)

Rape continues to be underreported. If you are a survivor of sexual assault, please come forward. To make a report of a sex crime, call our 24-hour hotline at 646-610-7272 or 212-267-7273

Confirmed Hate Crimes: May 2026 vs. May 2025

Reported Hate Crimes: May 2026

 

Confirmed Hate Crimes: Year to Date