NEW YORK — Police working overtime to get menacing guns off the street said Monday that they are disturbed by a frustrating trend — the shooters are getting younger, and so are the victims.
Even with violent crime subsiding, more weapons being seized and more felons being arrested on gun charges, NYPD officials say the deadly youth component is totally unacceptable.
“Our victims are young victims,” said NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael Lipetri, noting that this year has seen about 62 shooting victims under age 18, while 14% of those arrested for shootings were younger than 18.
“Youth violence is a concern. We are focused on reducing the victims,” he added.
Lipetri said the youth trend has coincided with the three-year spate in violence across the five boroughs, a surge that was concurrent with the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
“Since 2020, we’ve seen increases that we’ve never seen before,” said the chief. “So from 2020 to present, it’s (the) most youth-involved shootings that we’ve seen.”
Lipetri joined some of the Police Department’s top brass at a news conference where officials showed an array of illegal guns recently seized by brave street cops.
The dangerous weapons ranged from automatic weapons to ghost guns built in basements with parts acquired through the mail.
Some of those same guns — bagged, tagged and marked as evidence — were pointed by, and at, boys and girls who have yet to attend a high school prom or a Sweet 16 party.
“One shooting victim is one too many,” acting Police Commissioner Edward Caban said at the conference, held at NYPD headquarters. “When a child is shot right in a car or playing in a park, we understand the perception or fear that creates.”
Caban’s comments came after a weekend of violent attacks during which a 12-year-old girl was struck in the shoulder by a stray on a Bronx street.
Two days before that, 5-year-old Zamayia Miles was shot in the back as she sat in her father’s car near E. 214th Street and Holland Avenue, cops said.
On Sunday, Caban visited Zamayia and her parents at Montefiore Medical Center.
“I visited that little girl to see what she and the family were going through,” Caban said. “It was not only heartbreaking, it was infuriating. We promised that we would never rest until her shooter was found and held accountable.”
Still, Caban touted the department’s accomplishments.
“Over the past 18 months, the NYPD has taken more than 10,500 illegal guns off our streets and out of our neighborhoods,” Caban said. “This is the highest number of illegal guns seized over that time period in a generation.
“In 2022, the NYPD made the most gun arrests in 27 years,” he added. “That work has produced real results. Shooting incidents are down in New York City nearly 25% so far this year. And shooting victims are down nearly 27%.”
NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said one of the keys to keeping young people safe and out of trouble is keeping them busy, especially during the hot summer months.
”Just in terms of youth, this summer we are looking at a summer youth employment program,” Maddrey said. “We’re looking to have 1,000 children here. Last year we did 813, the most ever. We have 871 already committed.”
———
