Phoenix welcomes in new year with fewer ‘shots fired’ calls vs. 2017

PHOENIX — As the clock struck midnight, more Phoenix residents welcomed in the new year in a safer way.

According to Sgt. Vince Lewis with the Phoenix Police Department, there was a more than 33 percent decrease in “shots fired” calls made around midnight on New Year’s Day.

There were 240 “shots fired” calls placed between 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day this year, compared to 362 calls during the same time period during the 2017 holiday.

In addition, Lewis said there was a 33 percent decrease in total shots fired calls during the entirety of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day this year: 527 during the 2018 holiday compared to 786 the year before.

However, Lewis clarified that each “shot fired” call does not necessarily mean that a bullet was fired, but it does reflect on the department’s efforts to encourage “citizens to report when they hear shots fired within the city limits.”

“Each shot could generate multiple duplicate calls. Although increased reporting could raise the number of calls for service, our goal is to reduce the actual number of shots fired into the air,” he said.

This year, Lewis there were two arrests “of note” made for firing a gun into the air: 27-year-old Samantha Lewis-Nearhood and 34-year-old Carter Moore. It is unknown whether they were charged with any crimes.

The Phoenix Police Department and other Valley law enforcement agencies have prioritized the enforcement of Shannon’s Law, which makes it a felony to fire a gun within or into a city’s limits in Arizona.

Shannon’s Law was enacted in 2000 and was named after Shannon Smith, a 14-year-old girl who was killed by a stray bullet in Phoenix in June of 1999.

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