Connecticut’s largest city has experienced a record number of shootings and murders this year. Bridgeport police attribute the spike to gang violence.
There have been 18 homicides so far this year. At least five are believed to be gang-related.
Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez is alarmed. There was only one gang related murder last year, though that number may rise as three unclassified murders are still being investigated.
Non-fatal shootings by gangs are also on the rise from last year’s 11 to 25. Perez worries that this is because of the number of guns on the street.
Perez hopes that recent arrests of gang members will cut the number of shootings in the city.