In July there were 37 shootings in Long Beach, according to data provided by the Long Beach Police Department. Someone was hit in 18 of the shootings, according to the data.
As of now, there have been more shootings in 2021 than at this time in 2020. However, the majority of last year’s shootings took place in the latter half of the year.
In fact, last winter, Long Beach saw a higher frequency of shootings than in any other period during the previous five years. Between the months of October 2020 and January 2021, there were 203 shootings, 78 of which resulted in someone being hit by a bullet. By comparison, there were 208 shootings in all of 2018.
Although the number of shootings has decreased significantly since January 2021, it remains above average compared to previous years.
The Long Beach Post obtained the shooting data through monthly public records requests with the Long Beach Police Department.
Since the winter surge, the police department has implemented a number of programs to curb gun violence in the city. April’s numbers—there were 28 shootings that month—provided a glimmer of hope, but numbers have increased since then.
After a crime surge, LBPD flooded the zone on gun enforcement. Is it working?
Has Long Beach seen the same crime spike as other major cities?