Rochester Mayor Malik Evans is extending his gun violence state of emergency order in an effort to slash the gun crime rate even further.

The latest numbers from the mayor's office show there have been 163 shooting victims in Rochester this year. That's down from 289 last year. There has been a total of 42 homicides so far in 2024 — down from 58 in 2023.

Mayor Evans has extended the gun violence state of emergency multiple times since it was put in effect in July 2022 in response to a rise in violent crime. According to Evans, it gave him broad powers to protect life and property and to bring the emergency under control. It authorized the city to dedicate all possible resources to bring an end to violence and prevent it from expanding further.

“The main strategy involves our GIVE grant, which is our Gun Involved Violence Elimination program," said Rochester Police Chief David Smith when the order was put in place.

The declaration also allowed Smith's team to expand its coordinated efforts with the New York State Police, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.