Despite several high-profile, deadly shootings involving children, the NYPD reported on Monday a historic decline in murders during April — the lowest monthly total in recorded history.
The NYPD reported 19 homicides during April 2025, beating the previous monthly low record of 21 set in 2014 and 2017. Shootings also plummeted by 18.6% in April, from 70 citywide incidents last April to just 57 this year. The number of shooting victims in April was also down 19.3%, from 83 last April to 67 last month.
But many will remember April as a tragic month in New York City that saw two horrific incidents in which children were shot to death. Both incidents were tied to gang activity.
The first occurred on April 1, when 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore died from a stray bullet fired near the corner of Humboldt and Moore Streets in East Williamsburg. Two perpetrators were arrested in the case; investigators believe they had targeted the victim’s father.
On April 16, 15-year-old Jaden Pierre was shot dead near the basketball courts of Roy Wilkins Park in Queens after an apparent water gun fight that evolved into a fatal dispute. An 18-year-old perpetrator was later arrested for the crime, which enraged the grief-stricken community.
Nevertheless, the NYPD says its hard work “to target and take down the most dangerous gangs” and remove guns from the streets has resulted in a citywide drop in shootings and the historic decline in murder throughout 2026.
The first four months of 2026 saw a total of 76 homicides, beating the four-month record low of 86 set back in 2018. One borough, Staten Island, has not recorded a single murder this year. The Bronx had just four murders, the lowest month ever recorded for April.
Through the first 120 days of 2026, the city is on pace for 231 homicides this year — which would break the record low of 290 murders set in 2017.
“Once again, the crime reductions across the five boroughs are a direct result of our precision-policing strategy: focusing on illegal guns, putting officers where they’re needed most, and taking down violent gangs,” said Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “These results are made possible by the women and men of the NYPD carrying out that work with focus and discipline. That approach is producing real, measurable crime reductions across the city, and it will continue to guide our work in the months ahead.”
Overall major crime (murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, grand larceny, burglary, auto theft) in April 2026 also fell by 9.5%, from 10,114 total incidents to 9,157. Transit crime increased marginally in April, from 171 to 173 incidents, but remains slightly down year-to-date with 711 incidents, compared to 715 at the same point in 2025.