Shootings in Brampton and Mississauga are on the way to hitting a record high this year, with 56 so far.

That number has already surpassed last year’s 12-month total of 54, the highest number seen since at least 2010.

Those 56 shootings include the near-fatal wounding of a 55-year-old man in a Brampton parking lot early Thursday, Oct. 26, and the weekend shooting of a 20-year-old man outside a strip plaza on Sunday, Oct. 29.

Peel Regional Police statistics showed the alarming trend early on, with shootings hitting 37 in the first six months of this year, compared to 30 in the same period last year, say statistics included in the Peel Regional Police draft budget for 2018.

Related Content One gun death a month in Brampton, Mississauga so far this year

That trend has continued throughout the summer and into fall.

The numbers include shooting deaths, injuries, and incidents in which no one was hit by bullets, but buildings or vehicles were fired upon.

Guns have been used to kill nine people in the two cities so far in 2017. That’s 64 per cent of the 14 murders that have occurred.

Only one of those 14 murder victims died from stab wounds, said police. That reflects a trend that has seen a decrease in stabbings overall. In the first six months of 2017, stabbings had decreased to 66 compared to 89 in the same period of 2016, an almost 26 per cent drop, with a corresponding drop in the number of victims to 67 from 100.

Of the other four homicides, one victim was asphyxiated and the other three died from “trauma” or “blunt force trauma.”

Earlier this year, Peel Police Chief Jennifer Evans said two deadly shootings were fuelled by gangs and "other criminal elements" and decried the gun violence that has plagued the region.