The 11-year-old boy who was struck in the crossfire of a Brooklyn shooting Thursday night is in stable condition, said Mayor Bill de Blasio, who promised an increased police presence in the Crown Heights neighborhood.
“I just want to report to everyone at this moment, thank God, he is stable,” the mayor said on WNYC radio on Friday morning.
“There are very serious concerns that have to be addressed in terms of his health situation, but he’s stable,” the mayor added.
A gunman opened fire on Schenectady Avenue between Saint Johns Place and Lincoln Place around 7 p.m. Thursday, hitting the child and a 31-year-old man, according to police. The child was rushed to a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was in critical condition at the time, but expected to live.
The mayor said the child was an unintended target, but he would not comment on the other victim’s involvement, pending a “full investigation.”
The older man, who was hit in the knee, also was hospitalized and expected to recover.
“NYPD has found a person of interest and apprehended him,” the mayor said on WNYC. “Anyone who has information, please call 1-800-577-TIPS.”
A caller named Desmond got through to the mayor on the radio program Friday — just a week after he’d pleaded with Hizzoner for more cops in Crown Heights.
“I did speak with you last week about the urgent need for more resources in our community,” Desmond reminded the mayor.
“We need every manner of resources in our community, increased mental health, intervention services, more detectives and more policing,” he said.
The mayor promised support.
“We are adding officers. We have been adding officers immediately before this incident — this is a horrible incident — we’ll continue to add officers and additional resources to the area to make sure people are safe,” de Blasio said.
WNYC host Brian Lehrer asked the mayor if it was “ironic” that they received a call from a Crown Heights resident asking for more police protection a day after de Blasio held a press conference in the neighborhood announcing fewer cops in schools.
“No, no,” the mayor said. He drew a distinction between serious crime caused mostly by gangs and a “different reality in schools,” where violence has decreased over the past five years.