Eighteen people were shot in NYC on Monday, coming a day after a one-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet during another weekend of gun violence.
The spate of shootings largely impacted Brooklyn, where 10 shooting incidents injured a total of 12 victims, according to the New York Post. A law enforcement source told the Post the figure is "astronomical."
The worst of the shootings occurred in Canarsie, where seven people were shot in five separate incidents that included drive-by shootings. Five of the seven people were shot in the area of a NYCHA complex within a span of 15 minutes, beginning at 6:19 p.m. Among the victims included a 23-year-old woman shot multiple times, three 19-year-old men hit with bullets at 2105 Rockaway Parkway, and another man shot in Flatlands at 4th Street and East 108th Avenue while riding a scooter. Police Chief Rodney Harrison said those victims--all expected to survive--were intended targets. Police are now tracking a white four-door sedan connected to each of the shootings.
Another shooting happened in East Harlem, where 17-year-old Lamar J. Gibson was killed inside the courtyard of Washington Houses.
The neighborhood had already been the scene of a shooting at 3 a.m. on Monday that claimed the life of a 20-year-old man who was fatally shot on Williams Avenue near Stanley Avenue.
There were 634 shootings in NYC so far this year, compared to 394 the same time a year ago, according to the New York Times.
In an interview on NY1 on Tuesday morning, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said the NYPD needs community leaders' help in order to stop the violence.
“There has to be a sharper way that involves everyone —the community, involves the leaders, involves making tough decisions and enforcing gun laws,” said Shea.
The shootings came several days after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an anti-violence program launching in Harlem and expected to be implemented in several hotspots. The initiative will see a heavier police presence in areas where shootings are prevalent. Violence interrupters will also hit the streets, attempting to quell tensions that can trigger acts of gun violence.
The latest spate of shootings also come a day after a one-year-old boy Davell Gardner was killed by a stray bullet. Police released surveillance video of the shooting showing two men running down a street with one of them pointing a gun.
Asked about the rise in shootings on Monday, de Blasio said "every aspect of life has been dislocated due to the coronavirus," including the court system, and defended Shea, saying adjustments will be made to quell the gun violence.
"We are not dealing with business as usual," said de Blasio.
