Fatal shooting of boy, 12, unites pols, community

April 2, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Councilmember Farah Louis (D-East Flatbush): “My heart went into my stomach.” Eagle file photo by Gerri Hernandez

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Reeling from the fatal shooting on Thursday night of a 12-year-old boy, the East Flatbush community organized a Stand In Solidarity event for Friday evening. City Councilmember Darlene Mealy, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, and public safety advocates were scheduled to join in the vigil.

The 12-year-old, whose identity was not released as of press time, was shot multiple times and killed, while eating in a car in East Flatbush with a 20-year-old woman in the driver’s seat, who was wounded.

City Councilmember Farah N. Louis (D-45) who represents the East Flatbush neighborhood and the 67th Precinct in which the shooting occurred, issued a statement urging the community to track down the killers and provide any leads they may have.

Mayor Eric Adams: “We’re going to catch this shooter.” Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP

She said (excerpted below): “As the officer shared the information, I went into shock and my heart went into my stomach. I thought about the anguish and pain this little boy’s mother will endure when she receives the news about her son … I am frustrated that once again, instead of celebrating the commencement of middle school and preparation for high school for this young boy, we’re mourning a young life lost due to gun violence.”

Councilmember Louis concluded, “This senseless act of violence is a sobering reminder of why we need to get guns off our streets and out of our neighborhoods. There are steps and actions that need to be made to ensure our words and condolences are no longer empty with each shooting.”

The night of the shooting, Mayor Eric Adams held a briefing with NYPD Assistant Chief Michael Kemper and Deputy Chief Joseph Gulotta. According to transcripts of the briefing, Kemper reported that the NYPD responded around 7:45 p.m. to the shooting, and found three individuals in the Toyota into which the bullets were shot, including an 8-year-old girl who was not injured. Two black sedans had been spotted fleeing the area. The motive and number of assailants were still under investigation at press time.

During the briefing, Mayor Adams said, “We hear so much about those who are fighting, but when are we going to start fighting for the innocent people of this city? And I’m going to do that. And this Police Department is going to do that.”

The mayor, who himself is a retired police captain, added, “We’re going to catch this shooter, but as long as we have guns and we’re in a revolving door system, we’re going to continue to come to crime scenes like this. It’s time for it to stop. That’s why we are here. We’re going to do our job. We need everyone to help us ending this senseless violence.”

The day before this latest shooting, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams had emphasized at a City Council hearing the need to redefine public safety and combat the root causes of the recent rise in gun violence to make New York City safer. During his comments at an oversight hearing of the Committee on Public Safety focused on the mayor’s recent Blueprint to End Gun Violence, the Public Advocate stressed that the city cannot merely police its way out of longstanding issues and repeated his calls for investment in the communities that face the most violence.