ShotSpotter Strikes Again in Utica, Gunshots Ignored by Public

The Utica Police Department continues to rely on their newest technology to attempt to keep city streets safer. ShotSpotter is having a huge impact on police being made aware of when gunshots ring out, despite the fact nobody is reporting these incidents.

Utica Police announced Wednesday the ShotSpotter technology identified shots fired Tuesday just after 7 p.m. on the 200 block of Lansing Street. Upon arrival to the vicinity in which ShotSpotter led them, officers say they located several spent shell casings. Even though police were able to determine shots were fired, the 911 center never even received a call.

During the course of the subsequent investigation, police say it was learned a vehicle approached a male and occupants within that vehicle began firing at him. It was determined while this male was the intended target, luckily all shots missed the subject. Like many other "shots fired" investigations this case was handed over to the Utica Police Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Unit to get to the bottom of what happened. Had the ShotSpotter not identified those gunshots, this crime would have never gone reported.

This technology is starting to paint a picture of life in some parts of the City of Utica. What must it be like to live in an area where you constantly hear gunfire, but feel it useless to report it, or worse fear repercussions for doing so. Utica Police are eager to get to the bottom of this incident and the three other incidents that went unreported over the weekend. If you have any information on this case or the shootings on Neilson, Seymour or Dudley you are urged to contact the UPD GIVE Unit at (315) 223-3550 or you can submit a 100% anonymous tip online through Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers.