The increase has city officials scrambling to find a plan to stem the bƖσσdshɛd, now at a level not seen by the NYPD in at least five years.

In a recent television interview, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea even compared the city to an ocean liner bearing down on an iceberg and disaster unless the criminal justice system is fixed, although he wasn't specific.

The latest Compstat figures through June 21 show that so far this year, there have been 448 shootings compared with 329 in same period of 2019, an increase of more than 36%. The number of those wounded in 2020 has jumped to 531 from 373 through mid June of last year, an increase of 42.4%.

The overall totals were boosted by a big increase in shootings last week — 53 compared with 32 in the previous seven days — a toll boosted by at least 19 over the weekend. The number of wounded jumped to 72 from 46 in the prior week. The toll of gunfire victims wounded last week was 414% higher than the same seven-day period a year ago.

Other grim totals included a nearly 24% increase in homicides so far this year...