Safer Streets: Governor Hochul Announces Shootings in Buffalo Down 6% and Shooting Victims Down Another 16% Since Last Year

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that reported gun violence across New York State has continued to decline below the lowest level since the state began tracking this data in 2006. New statistics released by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services show a 15 percent decline in shooting victims and a 9 percent drop in shooting incidents with injury through April 2025, compared to the same four-month period last year — the lowest totals ever recorded. In Buffalo, shooting incidents with injury fell six percent from January to April 2025 compared to the same period of time in 2024, while the number of shooting victims dropped 16 percent. To date, Erie County and the City of Buffalo have led the state in progress to combat gun violence.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority. Since taking office, my administration has been laser focused on eliminating gun violence and reducing the number of gun-related injuries and fatalities in Buffalo and across the State,” Governor Hochul said. “Our efforts are working, and I am committed to continuing our record level support for gun violence prevention initiatives in our most impacted communities to ensure all New Yorkers are safe.”

Newly released data comes from the 28 police departments outside of New York City participating in the State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative. These police departments report roughly 90 percent of violent crimes involving firearms and 85 percent of violent crime reported outside New York City. Since 2021 when Governor Hochul took office, shootings in New York are down by more than 50 percent and murders are down 30 percent.

Between January and April 2025, these departments reported 156 shooting victims, down from 183 during the same period in 2024; and 139 shooting incidents with injury, down from 153 in 2024 — data that are the result of a coordinated, data-driven effort to reduce gun violence in the State’s most impacted communities. In Buffalo, the police department reported 32 shooting incidents with injury between January and April 2025, down from 34 in 2024; and 36 shooting victims, down from 43 during the same time period in 2024.

New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, “New York’s strategy is working because it’s grounded in data, backed by funding, and built on strong partnerships. We are proud to support our law enforcement and community partners with the tools they need to make every neighborhood safer.”

Buffalo Mayor Christopher P. Scanlon said, “We have taken great strides combatting gun violence in the City of Buffalo, and I want to commend Police Commissioner Alphonso Wright and the dedicated men and women of the Buffalo Police Department for their relentless work in making our city safer. I also want to thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her steadfast commitment and investment in combatting gun violence across the state. My administration is focused on our joint mission, which is why in conjunction with Masten District Councilmember Zeneta Everhart we established the Office of Gun Violence Prevention earlier this year. I’m honored to continue working alongside Councilmember Everhart to ensure every resident in Buffalo can live free from the threat of gun violence.”

Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said, “The ongoing efforts to reduce gun violence across the state are making a difference. Collaboration and support amongst many different law enforcement agencies and key community partners will help our continued efforts to promote public safety and to make neighborhoods safer. I thank Governor Hochul and my colleagues at other levels in government for continuing to work on reducing gun violence rates as we reinforce trusted safety measures and prevention methods to make every community safer, especially those disproportionately impacted by violent crimes that involve guns. Together we will achieve peace and stability throughout the state.”

According to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) the murder rate in New York declined by 8 percent from 2023 to 2024. Mortality data shows that New York has the second lowest homicide rate of the top 15 most populous states and the lowest homicide rate of the top 10 states. CDC data also shows that New York has the third lowest firearm-related mortality rate, including firearm-related homicides, accidental discharges, and suicides, in the nation behind only Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Preliminary full year crime data from DCJS shows a 4 percent decline in overall index crime statewide in 2024 compared to 2023. The 57 counties outside New York City reported an 8 percent drop in crimes with 5 percent fewer violent crimes and 9 percent fewer property crimes.

These decreases reflect the lowest level of violent crime — murder, rape, robbery and assault — outside of New York City since 1985 with overall index crime in jurisdictions outside New York returning to the historic lows not seen since 2017-2019.

In the 57 counties outside of New York City, the following categories of crime declined significantly from 2023 to 2024, with robbery and burglary at the lowest levels on record:

To build on this progress, Governor Hochul’s recently enacted FY26 Enacted Budget strengthens New York’s public safety efforts, including:

• $347 million in gun violence prevention programs that have helped drive gun violence down by more than 50% when compared to pandemic-era peaks;

• Reforms to the discovery process aimed at reducing recidivism and ensuring timely justice;

• Increased support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence;

• Enhanced protections for transit workers and passengers; and

• $77 million to partner with NYPD to increase police presence on platforms and trains by temporarily surging patrol levels for six months, among other key safety initiatives.

The Budget also includes continued funding for DCJS initiatives that support local law enforcement, community-based violence prevention and victim services. DCJS also recently notified law enforcement and victim service professionals of their first round of funding through its Statewide Targeted Reductions in Intimate Violence (STRIVE) initiative, which directs resources to police, prosecutors and victim assistance providers so they can better address intimate partner violence in high-need communities.

Detailed data on shooting incidents, victims and homicides by department is available on the DCJS statistics page.