Brooklyn Finishes 2025 with Fewest Murders, Shootings, Shooting Victims and Shooting Homicides in Recorded History

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Brooklyn Finishes 2025 with Fewest Murders, Shootings,

Shooting Victims and Shooting Homicides in Recorded History

Homicides Dropped by 24%, Shootings by 15% and Victims by 11%;
Achievement Punctuates 5-Year Trend of Declines in All Gun Violence Categories

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that 2025 was the safest year in Brooklyn's history, with record-lows in homicides and shooting homicides, both dropping precipitously by about 25%. Shooting incidents and shooting victims also dipped to new lows, dropping 15% and 11% respectively, improving on last year's records. Brooklyn was the only borough where these four categories decreased year after year since peaking in 2020.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "Brooklyn's record-low homicides and gun violence prove that community engagement, fairness, and trust make neighborhoods safer. By listening to residents, holding the most dangerous offenders accountable, and breaking cycles of violence, we are showing that safety comes from partnership, not vilifying our neighbors. I am confident that we can continue this encouraging trend into the new year."

The historic decline in gun violence in Brooklyn over the past five years, and especially this past year, is nothing short of remarkable. Bringing murders and shootings to lows never seen in the modern history of our borough is proof of the success of our holistic approach that includes partnerships between communities and law enforcement, strong enforcement, preventative programs, investments in the latest technology and offering second chances when appropriate., and I intend to keep up the progress we've made in other areas, such as retail theft and combatting fraud."

The District Attorney said that there were 91 murders in Brooklyn over the past year, a 24% decline from the 120 last year (beating the previous low of 98, recorded in 2018). Shooting homicides plummeted by 25% to 47 from 63 in 2024 (the previous low of 58 was recorded in 2017 and 2019). After reaching historic lows last year, shootings and shooting victims continued to decrease with 244 shooting incidents (43 or 15% fewer than last year) and 307 victims (40 or 11% fewer). Since 2020, when violence rose to levels not seen in a decade amid a global pandemic and social strife, homicides dropped by 48%, shootings by 63% and shooting victims by 62%. Brooklyn is the only borough in the city where these categories went down every year over that span.

Gun violence in 2025 declined even more significantly in and around housing developments across the borough, with a 41% decline in homicides, 31% in shootings and 32% in shooting incidents. During 2025, there were three stretches of 17 days without a single homicide in Brooklyn (population: about 2.8 million) and two nine-day periods without a single shooting victim.

The biggest decline in homicides took place in Brownsville, which had seven murders compared to 21 the previous year, a whopping 67% plunge. In Crown Heights, there were five homicides compared to 12 (58% decline) and in Bensonhurst there were none after six murders the year before. Other precincts with no homicides for the year were in Bay Ridge, Borough Park and Greenpoint. The largest reductions in shootings were seen in Crown Heights (46%), Brownsville (34%) and East New York (31%).

In addition, arrests for retail theft dropped by nearly 20% (largest among all boroughs), following the implementation of an enforcement program against recidivists in cooperation with major retailers. Brooklyn also led the city in percentage decline in burglaries (8.6%). Other noted reductions included hate crimes (down 10.8%) auto theft (10.6%) and robberies (5.4%).

[All stats are based on the NYPD's Compstat report as of today.]

The District Attorney said that there were 133 trials in Supreme Court this year, leading to 135 verdicts - 115 were convictions for an 85% conviction rate. A notable trial resulted in one of the lengthiest sentences for a deed fraud scheme, with seven years in prison plus the return of 11 properties stolen by the defendant. The Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, together with the NYPD, brought down two gangs in separate long-term investigations involving numerous shootings, including fatal ones. The Virtual Currency Unit continued its work protecting residents from devastating financial scams, including the indictment of a Brooklyn man for stealing over $15 million in cryptocurrency and the freezing of hundreds of thousands in stolen funds (its Chief was described by the Economist magazine as "one of a handful of people in America trying to get scammed money back").

In the community, the District Attorney's Office hosted over 30 community events, including crime prevention seminars, food and toys giveaways, holiday celebrations and more. During two gun buyback events, over 350 firearms were turned in and are now off the streets. And the office relaunched Project Restore which will attempt to reach gang-involved youth at an early stage and provide them with resources and support.

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