A series of violent incidents shook New York City teenagers this week, resulting in at least two deaths and six injuries from shootings and stabbings across the five boroughs.
The violence targeting young people in the city unfolded over two days, with a 16-year-old basketball enthusiast shot dead in SoHo and a 17-year-old girl fatally stabbed in the neck outside a Queens subway station.
“We need to do everything in our power to address violence in this city, especially among our young people,” said Pastor Edward Hinds, who worked with Mahki Brown, the teenage boy killed in the shooting on Spring Street near Varick Street.
Brown, a student at Broome Street Academy Charter High School, was involved in a basketball team run by a non-violence group called “The GodSquad.”
“Mahki was a very energetic, very vibrant young man,” Hinds told The Post.
“It’s a tragedy that we now have to prepare for his funeral service.”
Brown was described as caring and respectful by friends and family. He was trying to intervene in a fight between two students when he was shot and killed.
The incidents included two boys on a CitiBike firing shots into a group of kids, hitting Brown twice. Another teenager was shot on the Upper West Side, and three others were slashed in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Following these incidents, two 15-year-old boys were stabbed outside a Bronx McDonald’s, and a 17-year-old girl was fatally stabbed in Sunnyside.
Police officials highlighted the rise in gun arrests among young people and blamed the state’s criminal justice laws for the violence.
“This is a direct result from the ‘Raise the Age’ laws,” one Manhattan supervisor said, referring to a statute that upped the age for teens to face adult charges to 18.
The law, which went into effect in 2019, diverts 16- and 17-year-olds to Family Court where they face less serious consequences.
“There are no repercussions for the crimes. The increase in crime is the opposite effect of what the law was intended to do,” the supervisor said.
NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Mike Lipetri emphasized the need for consequences for serious crimes.
Last year, 11% of gun arrests were minors, up significantly from previous years. The data shows a correlation between youth gun arrests and future involvement in shootings.
“Eleven percent of all shooting victims last year in New York City were under the age of 18,” Lipetri added.
The incidents underscore the need for action to address the ongoing violence affecting young people in the city.
Police are still investigating the incidents and searching for suspects involved in the various violent acts.
The two boys are enrolled as students at Bronx Vision Academy.
A 15-year-old girl has been charged with the murder of Rivera, who was just a few months shy of turning 18.
According to a friend of Rivera, the tragic incident occurred while the teen was drinking with friends in a park near the 46th Street subway station. The fatal dispute took place between Rivera and her 15-year-old acquaintance, who were both students at Queens Tech High School and had been friends for only three weeks.
Witnesses described how the perpetrator suddenly lunged at the victim, stabbing her in the neck during a verbal altercation. Despite Rivera’s plea for someone to call her mother as she lay dying on the street, she could not be saved after being rushed to the hospital.
“This is a result of changing laws without consequences,” remarked another Brooklyn detective. “Lawmakers may think they are protecting teens, but did they protect Rivera?”
Hinds, a Brooklyn pastor who knew the basketball player Brown, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the need for comprehensive resources and an all-hands-on-deck approach to address such tragedies.
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