On Thursday, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the buttocks down the block from Willis Playground in the Bronx.
The incident occurred near an elementary school, P.S. 049 Willis Avenue School. Peter Herrera, 30, was playing soccer at the park when the gunfire erupted around 4:30 p.m.
He heard three to four gunshots and saw people running in panic.
The teen was rushed in stable condition to Harlem Hospital, where the violence continued.
Three men assaulted the victim’s 21-year-old brother at the hospital, and one man, a 21-year-old, was arrested.
The victim’s assailants, both described as teenage boys, are still on the run.
Herrera complained about shootings in the Bronx, stating that they happen most of the time.
He believed that the NYPD needs to do more patrolling near the park.
The precinct is less than 500 feet from where the shooting occurred, but it seems to have done little to stop gun violence.
Last year, police reported that the Mott Haven area saw the most gun violence out of the entire borough and was one of the top three New York City areas to experience the most shootings.
The broad daylight shooting on Thursday left residents rattled. A mom of two, Marysol Ortiz, said, “It’s horrible. I have two little kids here, so for something to happen right next door… it’s sad.
It’s sad it happens so often.” She recalled a shooting that happened last summer in the playground while she was in her backyard with her kids.
She said that unfortunately, her children know about the things that happen in the neighborhood. Ortiz also stated that the park is their spot to play.
»NYPD Needs to Step Up Patrols Near Mott Haven to Combat Gun Violence«
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