Metro

NYC has freed thousands of gun suspects this year as shootings soar: NYPD

Nearly 90 percent of suspects arrested on gun charges this year are back on the streets, which the NYPD says has fueled a historic spike in shootings that have left more than 1,756 dead or wounded.

About 3,345 of the 3,793 perps arrested between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 for firearms crimes — 88 percent — were let go, according to department data. Just 450 remain in jail, the NYPD told The Post.

Some of the suspects posted bail, but judges were required to release others under new reform laws that prohibit them from setting monetary bail on some gun-possession cases. The crime became ineligible for bail in most circumstances under the Jan. 1 law changes, which mandate judges to release collared suspects, with no money down, on hundreds of charges considered “non-violent.”

The NYPD has repeatedly blamed this year’s stunning 96-percent surge in shootings on the loosened bail laws and early release of prisoners due to COVID concerns.

“We have made staggering numbers of gun arrests, taking guns off the streets from felons … but when you look, three days later, four days later, those individuals are back on the street committing more gun violence,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Tuesday while announcing shootings have climbed to 1,433 and are on track to reach a 14-year high by the end of 2020. By Thursday, the NYPD had logged an additional 18 shootings, bringing the total to 1,451, the department said.

The stats provided to The Post in the wake of Shea’s comments show the vast majority of accused criminals with known access to guns are free to go and commit new crimes — and many allegedly do. 

Gun

Among suspects in this year’s shootings, 40 percent have been caught with a gun previously, the NYPD said.

Of the 3,793 arrested in the first 11 months of the year on gun charges, 247 of them were accused of new crimes within just 60 days of their initial gun arrest, the NYPD said. 

Only 32 of those 247 are currently in jail.

In addition to the 247, another 24 people arrested for gun crimes previously were named as people of interest in a second crime within 60 days of their first gun arrest.

The number of gun suspects who were released because of bail reform and later linked to shootings this year remains unclear. It’s also unclear how many arrests have been made in this year’s 1,433 shootings.

Critics say the revolving-door justice for alleged gunslingers is dangeorus.

A man holding a pistol in an indoor shooting range.
Getty Images/Westend61

“If an individual is willing to shoot someone, why are we giving them a chance to do it again?” asked John Jay College of Criminal Justice Professor and retired NYPD detective sergeant Joseph Giacalone, who added sarcastically, “It’s not like we are up nearly 100 percent in shootings or anything.

“I can hear reformers argue that most shooters haven’t [committed new crimes]. Tell that to the victims’ families.”

Among those accused of committing another crime after an initial gun charge is Tremayne Silvia, 41, who cops say shot a man in the head just weeks after he was let out of jail following his arrest in another shooting.

Silvia allegedly fired a bullet at a woman’s fence while the two argued at 164th Street and 107th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, on July 26, according to a criminal complaint. He was arrested a week later, on Aug. 4, after cops say they spotted him near that same corner, and found him carrying a loaded gun and eight glassine envelopes of heroin.

But Silvia paid his $30,000 bail bond three days after his arrest, leaving him free to terrorize the same corner again on Sept. 13, as a wake for a Marine vet was happening nearby, police said.

In that incident, Silvia allegedly shot Jemay Pollard while he was standing with a group outside a home. Police are currently looking to arrest Pollard in that case.

A second alleged recidivist, Steven Lissone, 37, was arrested for shooting and robbing a victim in September, only to be caught with a loaded handgun within days of being released, police said.

Lissone allegedly robbed a man on Euclid Avenue in Cypress Hills on Sept. 24, then shooting the victim in the foot and threatening to kill him if he spoke about the attack, according to a criminal complaint. Police arrested Lissone three weeks later. But he posted $100,000 cash on Nov. 10 and remains free on bail.

It was not immediately clear who paid his bail. Non-profit groups that post bail for Rikers inmates awaiting trial have been ramping up fundraising efforts in recent months.

On Nov. 13, cops were called to the Brooklyn home of Lissone’s cousin after he allegedly punched the relative in the face, according to police and court records. Cops say they found Lissone with a loaded gun.

Shockingly, he was sprung again after posting another $100,000 cash for bail. He’s due back in court on Dec. 16.

In yet another example of revolving-door gun justice, teenager Aizhan Paul shot another teen in the chest just weeks after Paul was released from jail in a gun-possession case, police said.

Police nabbed Paul, 17, on Sept. 6, when they spotted him with an open container of alcohol in central Brooklyn and found a loaded gun in his fanny pack, police said. He was released following his arraignment, and on Oct. 17, allegedly shot the 19-year-old.

Additional reporting by Dean Balsamini