New Yorkers whose lives have been shattered by gun violence are speaking out about the recent jump in shootings in the Big Apple – and wonder how many more moms will have to mourn.
“Mothers should not have to be burying their young ones, especially when you are sending your children out to play in the park, you are sending them to places where they should be enjoying life,” said Melissa Alexander, whose 9-year-old daughter was wounded by a stray bullet in a park across from her home.
“Unfortunately these kids are being injured and losing their lives at a young age,” said Alexander, 36. “They didn’t ask for that. I feel like it’s horrible and it’s terrible…. It’s getting out of hand.”
Althea Lawson, 34, who was sitting in her walker near her Brooklyn home when she was hit by a stray bullet earlier this month, said she’s now afraid to leave home.
“I’m scared to walk in the area,” Lawson said Thursday. “You have to look over your shoulders to see what’s happening.
The Post reported this week that shootings in the city spiked by a whopping 50% last week compared to the same period last year – with the number of victims spiking by an even wider number.
And that’s just an uptick in what has already been a violent month.
NYPD stats show that 117 people have been hit in 98 shootings over the past month, up from 81 people shot in 74 incidents over the same time span in 2023 – a 44% jump in victims and 32% bump in victims.
“It’s hard to tell because the preaching of the gospel is still going on and people are not heeding it,” she added. “I want all this shooting to stop. You must walk in peace, walk with love and unity.”
“It’s like the Wild East because we’re on the East Side,” said Sokpini Tay, whose 11-year-old son, Kyhara Tay, was killed by an errant slug. “Nobody’s really doing anything it seems. Nobody really cares.
“Basically, everybody’s doing it and getting away with it,” he said. “The summer just started so I mean it should be going up because you’re gonna have more people out and about.”
Officials at City Hall said more cops were deployed to troubled precincts following an earlier spike in shootings in 2022 and 2023 – and note that overall crime is down throughout the Big Apple.
Police data show that most major crimes have dipped since last year, including a nearly 15% decrease in murder, a 10% drop in burglaries and a 10.5% reduction in car thefts.
However, other crimes have crept upward in the past year. That includes rapes, which are up to 734 from 583 this time last year, and robberies, which have risen to 7,505 this year compared to 7,120 at the same time last year – jumps of 7.5% and 5.4%, respectively.
In recent weeks, gun violence has also erupted.
Three people were killed and four others wounded in separate Father’s Day shootings, one day after two others were shot inside Livonia Park in Brownsville, according to police.
In all, 30 people were shot in two dozen shootings during the week ending on Sunday, up from 18 victims in 16 incidents over the same week in 2023, the stats show.
“Just like a couple of days ago a 17-year-old shot a pizza guy,” said Yanely Henriquez, whose promising teen daughter, Angellyh Yambo, was shot and killed while walking near her Bronx school in 2022.
“I saw the video yesterday,” she said. “It gave me so much anxiety because he just got out of the van or the car and he had a gun in his hand and he just started shooting.
“Same thing happened to Angellyh,” Henriquez said. “Same thing happened to so many kids and bystanders. This is not going to change and, unfortunately, now that the summer is coming you already know things are going to be more because people are outside, hanging out in front of buildings.”
