City leaders facing tough questions after murder of Barnard college student

NEW YORK - The murder of Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors is sparking anger from some New Yorkers, who are laying the blame for her death at the feet of city officials under whose watch they say crime has been staging a comeback. 

Mayor Bill de Blasio was profanely slammed in a tweet by the New York Sergeant’s Benevolent Association, while some public officials, including Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer say that it’s time to take a close look at crime trends.

“It does feel, if you listen to the news, that there is more crime than there has been in the recent past,” Brewer said. 

Speaking to FOX 5 NY, former NYPD Commissioner James O’Neil said that the best categories to examine to see if the city has become too progressive in its approach to fighting crime are shootings, assaults and murders. Statistics in all three categories are up this year, and law enforcement experts say that represents a serious red flag.

New York City is on the verge of crossing the 300 murder threshold for 2019.