The Peru Gazette

Buffalo and Rochester Continued to Lead the Way with Double-Digit Declines in Shooting Incidents

Albany, May 20, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced sustained progress in the ongoing fight against gun violence during the first four months of 2026 compared to the same time last year in communities participating in the State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative. New data from the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) shows shooting incidents with injury dropped 17 percent, the number of shooting victims declined 19 percent, and the number of individuals killed by a firearm decreased 43 percent. At the same time, there were no firearm-related homicides in 18 of the 28 GIVE communities.

“New Yorkers are safer today because of our continued investments in proven, data-driven strategies that are helping reduce gun violence and save lives,” Governor Hochul said. “Everyone deserves to live free from the scourge of gun violence. As we work to continue this progress across communities that experience gun violence, my administration will continue to support the hard work of law enforcement, community organizations and local leaders on the front lines of this fight.”

The following GIVE police departments reported no firearm-related homicides during the first four months of the year:

• Amherst
• Auburn
• Binghamton
• Cheektowaga
• Hempstead
• Ithaca
• Jamestown
• Kingston
• Lackawanna
• Middletown
• Mount Vernon
• Newburgh (city)
• Schenectady
• Spring Valley
• Troy
• Utica
• Yonkers
• Watertown

The police departments participating in GIVE are on the front lines of fighting gun violence outside of New York City, with the 28 participating agencies collectively accounting for about 90 percent of violent crimes involving firearms and 85 percent of all violent crime reported outside the five boroughs.

Compared to the first four months of 2021, the reductions are even more significant. Shooting incidents with injury declined 64 percent, from 324 to 116 incidents. Shooting victims decreased 66 percent, from 373 to 127, and firearm-related murders dropped 66 percent, from 61 to 21 deaths. These positive trends in GIVE communities follow last year’s all-time low numbers for all three shooting data points, which the state began collecting in 2006.

Gun violence in Buffalo and Rochester also continued to decline significantly. The Buffalo Police Department reported four firearm-related murders during the first four months of 2026, compared to 10 during the same period last year and 25 in 2021. Buffalo also saw a 32 percent decrease in shooting incidents with injury and a 34 percent decline in shooting victims compared to 2025. Compared to 2021, shooting incidents with injury and shooting victims each declined by more than 75 percent.

The Rochester Police Department reported one firearm-related murder during the first four months of 2026, compared to eight during the same period last year and 13 in 2021. Rochester also saw an 18 percent decrease in shooting incidents with injury and a 16 percent decline in shooting victims compared to 2025. Compared to 2021, shooting incidents with injury declined 61 percent and shooting victims fell 63 percent.

Administered by DCJS, the GIVE initiative provides more than $36 million to participating police departments, district attorneys’ offices, probation departments, and sheriffs’ offices, and training and technical assistance that supports a comprehensive approach to addressing gun violence, combining data-driven policing, focused deterrence, street outreach, youth engagement and community-based violence prevention strategies.

Since taking office, Governor Hochul has committed more than $3 billion to public safety initiatives that are contributing to results statewide. In addition to providing record-level funding for law enforcement, the Governor has increased investments in prevention initiatives and programs that create opportunity for youth and families and strengthen neighborhoods, including SNUG Street Outreach, Project RISE, community-led public safety initiatives in the Bronx, firearm-injury-prevention screening and safe storage efforts and the new HOPE program for youth and families. This multifaceted approach recognizes the importance of providing ongoing support to communities that haven’t shared fully in the state’s progress. Governor Hochul also has advanced key proposals in her FY27 Executive Budget to crack down on illegal 3D-printed firearms and DIY machine guns as part of New York’s nation-leading gun laws.