New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
New Bedford has seen a 91% increase in reported “Shots fired” in the city within the past 5 years, according to the 2023 Annual Crime Report by the New Bedford Police Department.
With 35 incidents of shots fired reported in 2019 we have since seen a steady increase year over year until a sharp jump in 2023.
New Bedford Police Department photo.
With 67 incidents in 2023, New Bedford averaged more than 1 incident of “shots Fired” per week. Of these 67 shots fired incidents, 3 were fatal, 21 resulted in the injury of a total of 24 victims, and 42 resulted in property damage.
In 16 cases there was no property damage, injuries or fatalities, but other evidence such as shell casings or CCTV footage confirmed the incident.
There has also been a slight increase in murders within the city of New Bedford in the past 5 years with 3 homicides in 2019 and 4 in each of the following years. Of the 4 homicides in 2023, a firearm was used in 3 incidents, while a knife was used in 1 incident.
New Bedford Police Department photo.
It is important to mention that, although there has been an increase in shootings within the past 5 years, the annual crime report does show a sharp decline in crime in almost every category when comparing the statistics recorded in 2014 to the statistics reported in 2023.
New Bedford Police Department photo.
