On Tuesday, three teenagers were taken into custody for allegedly shooting a 38-year-old woman in the Bronx two weeks prior, police reported.
Authorities indicated that the woman was walking on East 143rd Street near Willis Street in Mott Haven around 4:20 p.m. on February 10. During that time, a group fired shots at another group on the street, and she was caught in the crossfire.
The suspects include two boys aged 15 and 16, along with a 16-year-old girl, all facing charges of attempted murder, according to police.
One of the boys and the girl voluntarily turned themselves in, while the other boy was apprehended by the department’s Neighborhood Safety Team.
It was reported that the group, along with one male suspect still at large, were walking when one of the boys took a gun from the girl’s purse.
Subsequently, he began shooting, with two other armed youths joining in, as authorities detailed. The victim was transported to Lincoln Medical Center with serious injuries, though her condition was stable.
The teenagers fled the scene and were later spotted on surveillance video at the Diego Beekman apartment complex.
As of Wednesday, it was still unclear if the woman was the intended target of the gunfire or if she had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In a related note, police stated that just days before this incident, a 23-year-old woman, likely an innocent bystander, was shot in the leg in Ridgewood, Queens. Three 17-year-old boys and a 23-year-old suspect, Thomas Tyler, were arrested in connection with that shooting, which appeared to involve gang activity.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch warned that by 2025, youth violence citywide could hit historic levels, with 14% of shooting victims and 18% of shooters being under 18. “These are the highest percentages we have recorded since we began monitoring this data in 2018,” she commented.
