Police in New Haven, Connecticut, say the city is facing its worst string of shootings in nearly a decade.
The city has seen a large decrease in violent crime since 2011, but shootings and other crimes have spiked since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight people were shot in the last five days, one fatally.
New Haven police blamed a variety of factors, including inmates released due to COVID-19 and the public’s lack of cooperation with police.
The city’s police chief said it had less police on patrol because of budget cuts, which he said also contributed to the violence. He said the city needs to add more police officers, not remove them.
