New York City has more than coronavirus deaths to worry about, as an outbreak of gun violence has spiked shootings this week in the city nearly 200% from last year.
There were 23 shooting events (29 victims), including eight murders, numbers up from 8 shootings and four murders a year ago, a police source told the New York Post.
The warming weather and shelter-at-home fatigue are likely the cause, according to former NYPD detective sergeant Joseph Giacalone, now a John Jay College of Criminal Justice instructor.
"More people are out on the streets, patience is waning in stay-at-home orders and look at all of the convicts that are back on the street," Giacalone told the Post. "No jobs, no school, and no playgrounds are a recipe for disaster."
Early Saturday morning alone, there were five shootings within two hours, while overnight seven people were shot.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.