Paterson Parents Say Increase In Murders Has Shattered Fragile Sense Of Security
PATERSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A little boy in Paterson was playing on a bed, when suddenly a bullet tore through the wall and missed his head by a matter of inches.
As CBS 2's Tony Aiello reported it happened on Tuesday night. And at the tender age of 7, Luis Mayo has already survived a brush with death.
"I thought it was supposed to be safe," Luis said. "Sometimes it's not."
When bullets were fired at his family's Paterson home, a slug punched through a hole in the wall behind a bed and tore through a mattress just inches from the Luis' head as he played on the bed.
Another bullet slammed into a living room wall.
"I would go nuts if I were to lose my son, you know," Melissa Vazquez said.
Vazquez said that police were on the scene in minutes, pointing out dime-sized holes in the powder blue siding. A total of three bullets struck the home owned by her uncle.
"Time to sell and move. It's too scary here now," said homeowner Eduardo Vazquez said.
Protecting children from gunfire is a major preoccupation for parents in Paterson.
In September, Nazerah Bugg, 14, was killed when a gunman opened fire on a group of teens.
In July, Genesis Rincon, 12, died from random gunfire while riding a scooter.
Just 18 miles from Midtown Manhattan, Paterson has seen 20 murders in 2014, two more than all of 2013.
Vazquez said that her fragile sense of security has been shattered.
"My home is where my heart is, and they took a piece of my heart when they did this, because now I'm not even safe in my own home," she said.
On Wednesday night, detectives were back on the scene determined to find whoever pulled the trigger.
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