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Shootings Drop by a Third in the South Bronx's 40th and 42nd Precincts

By Eddie Small | June 25, 2015 5:17pm
 A group of new officers arrived in the 42nd Precinct last summer, which Ortiz credits with helping to keep this year's shootings down.
A group of new officers arrived in the 42nd Precinct last summer, which Ortiz credits with helping to keep this year's shootings down.
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DNAinfo/Eddie Small

SOUTH BRONX — Shootings have dropped significantly so far this year in two South Bronx precincts, according to data from the NYPD.

The number of gun victims in the 40th Precinct has decreased by 35.7 percent—from 14 to 9 — while victims in the nearby 42nd Precinct have dropped by 29.4 percent — from 17 to 12 — as of June 14 for this year compared to last year, statistics show.

Deputy Inspector Steven Ortiz, commanding officer of the 42nd Precinct, credited the decrease to factors including a group of 38 new officers who arrived in the neighborhood last summer and a large gang bust that police completed in April.

Officers used social media to help arrest several members of the Lyman Place Bosses, who had been linked to more than a dozen shootings over the past two years, according to the NYPD.

"We’re still reaping the effects of the social media case that we did," Ortiz said. "We’re still reaping the benefits over that."

Deputy Inspector Lorenzo Johnson, commanding officer of the 40th Precinct, said that every time his officers catch someone with a gun, they try prosecute them federally, which may be contributing to the lower amount of shootings in the area.

"People are realizing that, with the federal government, they’re looking at more significant time," he said, "so I think they're thinking twice before bringing out a firearm."