Walk across the St. George terminal on a Tuesday afternoon and things feel pretty normal. You’ve got commuters rushing for the ferry, the smell of salted pretzels, and that specific harbor breeze. But if you glance at the headlines or scroll through local "Citizen" app alerts, the vibe changes fast. People are talking. They're worried. There is a persistent, nagging conversation about shootings in Staten Island that seems to contradict the "borough of parks" image the city likes to promote.
It’s complicated. Honestly, it’s a tale of two islands.
If you look at the raw data from the NYPD’s CompStat, Staten Island often boasts the lowest overall crime volume in New York City. That’s a fact. But stats are cold, and they don’t account for the localized trauma in neighborhoods like Park Hill, Stapleton, or Port Richmond. When a gun goes off in a North Shore housing complex, it doesn't matter to those residents that the overall borough numbers are "down" compared to Brooklyn or the Bronx. For them, the reality of shootings in Staten Island is a daily weight.
The North Shore Divide and the Reality of Gun Violence
Most of the gun play isn't happening in the sprawling suburban blocks of Tottenville or the manicured lawns of Todt Hill. It’s concentrated. Specifically, the 120th Precinct, which covers the North Shore, consistently sees the lion’s share of the action.
Why? It’s not a mystery.
We are talking about systemic neglect that’s been brewing for decades. You have high-density public housing situated right next to areas undergoing rapid gentrification. That friction creates sparks. Experts like those at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice have long pointed out that violence is often a byproduct of hyper-localized disputes—gang rivalries, sure, but also personal beefs that escalate because someone has easy access to a firearm.
Last year, the city saw a general dip in shootings, and Staten Island followed that trend to an extent. However, "down" is a relative term. If there were ten shootings last year and eight this year, the headlines say "Violence Drops 20%!" But for the families of those eight victims, the "drop" is a meaningless statistic.
The NYPD often points to "precision policing" as the solution. They target the "alpha" players—the small percentage of people responsible for the majority of the violence. It works, kinda. But it also leaves a vacuum. When a high-level gang member is taken off the street, younger, more volatile kids often step up to fill the void. They want to prove themselves. They’re impulsive. That’s when you see the "senseless" shootings—the ones over a social media post or a "disrespectful" look at a bodega.
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What the 2024 and 2025 Data Actually Shows
The numbers are shifting. If you track the shooting incidents from 2024 into the start of 2026, you notice a weird oscillation.
In the 120th Precinct, we’ve seen moments of eerie quiet followed by "clusters" of violence. It’s never a steady stream; it’s a heartbeat. One week, it’s a broad-daylight shooting near the Jersey Street houses. The next, it’s a quiet investigation into a "shots fired" call where no one was hit, but the shell casings tell a story of what could have happened.
- The 121 Precinct: This precinct, covering the West Shore and parts of the North, has seen its own share of volatility, particularly around the Mariners Harbor area.
- The Ghost Gun Factor: This is the big one. Law enforcement is increasingly worried about "ghost guns"—untraceable, 3D-printed firearms. They’re showing up in Staten Island busts more frequently than they did five years ago.
- The Youth Component: A staggering number of recent incidents involve shooters and victims under the age of 21.
Community leaders like those at True 2 Life, a cure-violence program based on the island, argue that you can't police your way out of this. They use "violence interrupters"—people who have been in the life and can talk a kid down before he pulls a trigger. It’s boots-on-the-ground work. It’s messy. It’s also incredibly underfunded compared to the NYPD budget.
Beyond the Headlines: The Impact of "Drill" Culture
You can't talk about shootings in Staten Island without mentioning the cultural shift.
Go on YouTube. Search for Staten Island drill music. You’ll find videos with hundreds of thousands of views featuring local kids rapping about specific blocks, specific "opps" (opposition), and specific acts of violence. This isn't just art; for some, it’s a scoreboard.
The NYPD has openly stated that they monitor these music videos to predict where the next shooting might happen. When a rapper from New Brighton disses a rapper from Stapleton, the tension on the street spikes. It’s a digital-to-physical pipeline that the borough is still struggling to manage.
Social media has basically turned neighborhood beefs into a 24/7 spectator sport. In the old days, if you had a problem with someone, you saw them on the corner and handled it. Now, the whole borough watches the "diss" in real-time. The pressure to "respond" to a digital insult with physical violence is immense for a 16-year-old trying to maintain status.
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Is Staten Island "Safe"?
It depends on who you ask and where they live.
If you live in Great Kills, shootings in Staten Island feel like a distant news report from another planet. But if you’re a parent in the Richmond Terrace houses, you’re teaching your kids to stay away from the windows when they hear a loud pop.
Safety isn't just about the absence of crime; it's about the presence of peace.
The NYPD’s "Neighborhood Coordination Officers" (NCOs) are supposed to bridge this gap. They’re meant to be the friendly faces you know by name. In some parts of the island, this has built real trust. In others, the "snitch" culture is so deeply embedded that residents are terrified to speak to police, even when they know exactly who pulled the trigger. This silence is the oxygen that gun violence needs to survive. Without witnesses, cases go cold. When cases go cold, the cycle of retaliation continues because people feel they have to take "justice" into their own hands.
Addressing the Root Causes
Staten Island is often called the "forgotten borough," and nowhere is that more evident than in its social services.
The island lacks the robust infrastructure of community centers and youth programs found in Manhattan or Brooklyn. When kids have nothing to do and no hope of a decent job, the street becomes the only game in town. We see a direct correlation between the lack of economic investment in the North Shore and the frequency of shootings in Staten Island.
It’s about more than just "bad kids." It’s about food deserts, failing schools, and a lack of mental health resources.
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The Staten Island District Attorney’s Office, led by Michael McMahon, has pushed for a "tough on guns" stance, often criticizing bail reform laws that he argues allow violent offenders back onto the streets too quickly. It’s a contentious point. Advocates for reform argue that pretrial detention doesn't actually stop the violence; it just cycles people through a broken system.
There is no consensus here. Only a shared frustration.
Actionable Steps for Residents and Concerned Citizens
Living in a community affected by gun violence is draining, but there are ways to move the needle.
Engage with Local Precinct Councils. The 120, 121, 122, and 123 precincts all have monthly meetings. Go. Be the person who asks the hard questions. If you don't show up, the police only hear from the most vocal—or the most connected—residents.
Support Cure Violence Organizations. Groups like True 2 Life and the Staten Island Anti-Violence Partnership need more than just "likes" on Instagram. They need volunteers, mentors, and donors. These organizations are often the only ones standing between a heated argument and a funeral.
Report Illegal Firearms (Anonymously). The NYPD’s Gun Stop program offers rewards for tips that lead to the recovery of illegal guns. You don't have to give your name. If you know where a stash is, or who is selling ghost gun kits, reporting it can literally save a life that very night.
Invest in Youth Mentorship. Big Brothers Big Sisters and local church groups are desperate for male mentors in particular. Many of the young men involved in shootings in Staten Island are looking for a sense of belonging. If they don't find it in a positive environment, the gangs are more than happy to provide it.
Advocate for North Shore Investment. Write to your City Council representatives. Demand that the "forgotten borough" gets its fair share of funding for vocational training and after-school programs. The cost of a community center is a fraction of the cost of a lifetime of incarceration.
Gun violence in Staten Island isn't an unsolvable mystery. It’s the predictable result of specific conditions. Changing those conditions takes more than a press conference; it takes a sustained, borough-wide effort to stop treating the North Shore like a separate entity. Until the whole island is invested in the safety of every zip code, the sirens won't stop.