Rochester gun violence falls more than 50% from peak years of pandemic
Today in his first Public Safety Briefing of 2025, Mayor Malik D. Evans announced that firearm violence in 2024 fell by more than half from the high point it reached during the pandemic in 2021, and promised continued work on his administration’s top priority of public safety in the new year.
Year-end crime data for 2024 showed that the key metrics for gun violence fell by more than 50 percent from the historic peaks they reached in 2021 and 2022.
- Shootings fell 53 percent, from 349 in 2021 to 157;
- Shooting victims fell 51 percent, from 419 in 2021 to 205;
- Fatal shootings also fell 55 percent, from 63 in 2022 to 28.
“Since I took office three years ago, my administration and our partners have remained steadfastly focused on reducing crime and its impact on Rochester residents,” said Mayor Evans. “We will build on this momentum, continuing to meet each situation with the right mix of prevention, intervention and suppression strategies.”
The City achieved the sharp declines with historic law enforcement partnerships at the federal, state, county and local levels; making public safety the number one priority for every City department; and maintaining a Gun Violence State of Emergency since June of 2022 that gives the City added authority to regulate activity associated with gun violence.
“This is no time to get complacent,” Mayor Evans said. “We will continue to confront the tragedy of gun violence with every resource we can muster.”