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Mayor Adams demands support for NYPD amid growing NYC gun crime

By FOX 5 NY Staff
Updated  May 12, 2022 6:50am EDT
New York City
FOX 5 NY

Growing concerns over NYC gun violence

Mayor Eric Adams defended the NYPD and expressed his frustration over an alleged lack of support for law enforcement as gun violence on New York City's streets continues to rise.

NEW YORK - In a fiery news conference on Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the New York City Police Department and demanded more support for the department from lawmakers. 

"There is no fear from people carrying guns," Adams said. "I've never seen anything like this in my life."

The news conference came after an NYPD officer was shot in the arm by a 25-year-old man in the Bronx on Tuesday. The officer was released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, but city officials say the gunman never should have been on the streets.  He had just been arrested in the subway with a weapon.

RELATED: NYPD officer shot in arm by career criminal, gunman shot and killed, police say

With the warmer summer months quickly approaching, there is significant concern that gun violence in the city will continue to escalate, as the city faces a surge of so-called "ghost guns."

Adams calls for crackdown on ghost guns supply

As more and more ghost guns end up in the hands of criminals in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams is calling on the federal government to yank the license of a company called Polymer80, which is the nation's biggest manufacturer of untraceable gun parts.

However, Adams said that while the city has battled surges in crime in the past, this time around lawmakers and the media are working against law enforcement.

"Right now, the NYPD is by themselves. We're alone," Adams said. "I think that opinion-makers and the opinion shapers have abandoned our police."

RELATED: NYPD crime-fighting plan moves more cops to night shift

According to the most recent statistics from the NYPD, gun violence in the city did drop last month as, compared to April 2021, but the number of shootings was still nearly double pre-pandemic levels, with major crimes up 34.2% overall.

Shortly after Adams held his press conference, a teenager was shot in the arm outside a high school in Queens. 

The Mayor and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said that they are working with the Biden Administration to try and find a solution to the issue.