WILLIAMS CONDEMNS HIGH NUMBER OF WEEKEND YOUTH SHOOTINGS IN THE CITY

 

Council Member Jumaane D. Williams,Deputy Leader and co-chair of the Council's Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, released the following statement after at least four people under the age of 21 were shot last weekend throughout the five boroughs.  A 9-year-old boy accidentally shot a 14-year-old girl in the back with a .22 caliber rifle he retrieved from his parents' apartment in Dyker Heights on Friday around 6:15 P.M., officials said.   On Saturday around 4:00 P.M., Donel Andrew, 18, was fatally shot in the torso on Flatbush Avenue. Ten minutes earlier and less than a mile away, the police said, a one-year-old baby girl was grazed in the leg by a bullet on Foster Avenue and Rugby Road. The child was also transported to Kings County Hospital Center, where she was treated for none life-threatening injuries. On Sunday just after 2:00 A.M., 21-year-old Jordan Santos was fatally shot inside a car in Queens. STATEMENT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS "At what point are words not enough to express heartache and frustration about tragic shootings like those that took place over the weekend, including one that claimed the life of a teenage boy and another that injured a young baby girl. My prayers for comfort, peace and healing are with the victims' families after each of these tragic incidents. "As we wait for further details to unfold in these cases, it's not enough to just stand by. We do know, however, that the teenager's life was taken just across the street from a McDonald's on Flatbush Avenue which was the recent scene of graphic, disturbing youth violence widely seen on social media. It is clear that this area of Flatbush Avenue is in desperate need of attention. Simply adding more police cannot be the only answer. As a community, each of us must demand real change so we stop seeing incidents like this from happening where our youth reside. We must also deal with the supply of guns our kids have access to, and their misguided penchant for deadly violence as a response to disputes. "As we get deeper into budget season, our city and state will begin to prioritize initiatives to fund. During this process, it's imperative that our city fund more effective ways to positively engage youth, as well as to fully equip every community so they become the village that can raise a child.  "This year, let's not accept as fact that just because we are approaching warmer months that gun violence has to increase. It doesn't. It's my hope that with a bold stance and joint city/community efforts, we will put an end to tragedies like these by lowering the gun violence rate once and for all."