Last year, there were over 340,000 victims of gunfire-related violent crime in the United States. That’s one victim every 2 minutes. As public safety agencies work with organizations and their communities to reduce this level of gun violence, first responders have the challenging task of reducing potential damage from the incidents that do occur.

This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that, in a number of cases, first responders do not have the data necessary to arrive in time to prevent further injury or loss of life.

At ShotSpotter, we are proud to offer a tool that improves the level of gunfire intelligence afforded to public safety agencies. ShotSpotter data is used by our customers on a daily basis to increase the chances that lives will be saved and perpetrators will eventually be brought to justice.

This month’s “success of the month” post highlights an incident where a young man was assaulted by several men, resulting in a gunshot wound to his neck. A ShotSpotter GLS alert brought first responders to the scene, where they were able to administer aid that may have prevented further injury.

In the early morning hours of a populous city, a shot rang out.

Listen to the gunfire

Within seconds, police dispatch received a ShotSpotter alert and sent responding officers to the scene. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 20-year-old man bleeding from the mouth. The victim explained that he had been assaulted by two to three men, and was injured.

Location of the incident as shown on the ShotSpotter Public Safety Console (PSC)

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where X-rays found a bullet lodged in the back of his neck. Following treatment, the victim is expected to make a recovery.

Like many other incidents of this type, timely aid may have made the difference between the young man being a victim or a casualty.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, National Crime Victimization Report 2008.

About the Success of the Month

Each month we feature an incident where a customer’s ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System played an integral role in removing a threat from our streets. The ShotSpotter GLS provides law enforcement with near real-time alerts, aggregated intelligence data, and forensic data that regularly lead to a successful arrests, weapons confiscations and prosecutions.

*Please note that some incident details have been altered to preserve both customer and public privacy.