#Current NYC’s murder tally just surpassed all of 2019: NYPD data

New York City surpassed another grim crime milestone last month, as the number of murders blew past all of 2019’s tally — and there are still three months remaining in 2020, according to new data.

The NYPD recorded 51 murders last month, or nearly double the 2019 figure for September — pushing the total number of homicides this year to 344. That is already the highest overall annual figure the city has seen since 2013, when 335 slayings were logged for that year, NYPD data shows.

If the current pace holds, murders could surpass 400 for the year.

The last time homicides ticked up above 400 was in 2012, when 419 were recorded, according to NYPD data.

Meanwhile, shootings more than doubled last month compared to the same time period in 2019. There were 67 shootings last September, while there were 152 shooting incidents for the month this year, according to the data.

The rising figures come as the department’s gun-enforcement numbers jumped by 300 arrests in its attempt to curb the epidemic of weapons violence that has marred an already bleak summer amid the pandemic.

In September, the NYPD recorded 607 firearms collars, which police officials have particularly praised given the roughly 2,500-person cut in manpower and nearly 60 percent overtime reduction.

“Despite the unparalleled challenges they face every day, our officers continue to engage with the community and zero in on the drivers of crime,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a statement.

At the end of August, Gotham surpassed 1,000 shootings for the first time since 2015.

NYC did get some potentially positive news earlier this week with the number of shooting victims flat over the prior seven-day period — the first sign that the surging gunplay may be slowing.