New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani offered his condolences over the death of a seven-month-old baby who was killed in what was believed to be a “gang-motivated” shooting.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, quoted by CBS News, said Wednesday night that a baby sitting in a stroller was killed by an apparent stray bullet fired during a “gang-motivated” shooting in Brooklyn.
One person of interest was taken into custody and police launched a “massive NYPD manhunt” for a second suspect.
“A life that had barely begun was taken away in an instant,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at an early evening press conference.
“As we mourn this loss, I am grateful for the continued work of the NYPD to find and bring to justice all those responsible for this murder,” Mamdani said.
what exactly happened The video reveals…
An alleged video of the incident showed two suspects on a moped pulling out of 24 Humboldt Street in the Bushwick Houses just minutes before the shooting in East Williamsburg around 1:15 p.m., Tisch said, as quoted by CBS news.
“As they approach the Moore Street intersection, a man sitting on the back of a moped can be seen pulling out a handgun and discharging at least two rounds toward the southwest corner. There were several adults on the corner, as well as two strollers and several children standing nearby,” the commissioner reportedly said.
Tisch said the child, identified as 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore, was being pushed in a stroller when she suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
After hearing gunshots, the child’s mother slipped into a nearby wine bar where she noticed her little girl bleeding.
“When she looked at the stroller and the baby was bleeding, she went crazy,” deli employee Abdo Alzokari said.
Her father then took the child to Woodhull Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“I thought it was fireworks, but then they hit me in the leg. I got little pieces of metal on my leg,” said witness Bernius Maldonado.
“And then all the children started hiding in the corner. The family went to the store and the mother started screaming when she noticed that the child was bleeding from (her) head. The child was lifeless… and the father just picked up the child and ran to the hospital,” the witness added.
Two suspects fled the scene on a moped. But the video showed their moped crashing into an oncoming car two blocks from the scene, the commissioner said.
Both suspects were thrown from the scooter, with the rear passenger landing so hard on the pavement that his shoes flew off. They were later found by the police.
“It was a boom when they hit it,” said witness Domingo Bonilla. “They hit the car and overturned.
Where are the suspects now?
Police said they received a 911 call related to the crash at approximately 1:25 p.m.
One of the men was taken to a hospital in Brooklyn. Investigators believe he fits the description of the shooter based on the clothing he was wearing and his appearance, Tisch said.
He was taken into custody as part of an unrelated “domestic violence robbery” investigation, and investigators are working to determine if he is connected to the shooting.
The second suspect, believed to be the driver of the moped, was wearing light gray trousers and a white T-shirt with a black surgical mask over the lower part of his face.
“He was last seen running toward the Marcy Houses,” Tisch said.
“He is the subject of a massive NYPD manhunt right now, and all NYPD officers have a very clear picture of this outstanding suspect on their phones,” Tisch added.
Bloodhounds were also involved in the search
Mamdani expresses grief
Mayor Mamdani expressed regret for the family and said this type of violence has no place in the five boroughs. In a post on X, he called the child’s death an “unthinkable loss.”
“There are no words that can mend the grief this family now feels, no declaration strong enough to remove the grief they are now forced to bear, no hug wide enough to heal the hole left in their lives,” Mamdani’s CBS report quoted him as saying.
He reportedly added: “This sadness is only compounded by the fact that he is not the first family in our city to know this pain. Too many children never grow up to be adults. Too many parents have had to bury the ones they love the most.”
“We cannot accept this as normal in our city. We cannot be numb to this pain. And today is a devastating reminder of how much work needs to be done to combat gun violence across the city,” Mamdani said.
