NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged on Tuesday that a spike in shootings was alarming but sought to reassure people the police department was handling the problem.
“It’s something we’re addressing right now. There is no greater priority for me than public safety,” de Blasio said at a hastily organized question-and-answer session following the release of police department figures that showed shootings are up 9 percent from the same period last year, from 403 to 439.
Homicides also are up, from 113 to 135, and most of the victims killed last month were shot to death, police said.
Starting next week, 330 police officers will be pulled from their usual duties for special patrols.
