THE BRONX — Shootings have spiked in multiple precincts throughout The Bronx in 2015, including by more than 100 percent in the neighborhoods near Yankee Stadium.
Victims of shootings have gone up by 80 percent in the 41st Precinct and by 52.2 percent in the 46th Precinct, while they have skyrocketed by 155.6 percent in the 44th Precinct, according to data from the NYPD.
As of June 14, victims had risen from five to nine in the 41st, from 23 to 35 in the 46th and from nine to 23 in the 44th compared to June 14 of last year, statistics show.
Shooting victims in the 44th Precinct include Christopher Duran, a 14-year-old who was shot and killed in May on his way to school. Travis Bloch, one of the suspects wanted in his death, was recently arrested and charged with murder.
In the 41st Precinct, a man was recently shot in the hand, hip and elbow in front of 972 Leggett Ave., while a June 13 shooting in the 46th Precinct resulted in a group of five men being injured in the ankles, legs, chest and butt.
The 46th Precinct has received additional personnel to help deal with the shootings and has partnered with multiple community groups to host a series of baseball clinics, a dance program and a youth basketball tournament, according to Deputy Inspector Philip Rivera, the squad's commanding officer.
"We hope to mentor these youth, recruit for our Law Enforcement Explorer Program and keep them from joining the crews responsible for much of the violence," he said in an email. "Hopefully a few of them might decide to pursue a career in law enforcement."
