NYC Gun Violence: Bronx Mother Devastated After 16-Year-Old Son Among 3 Teens Killed In Separate Sunday Shootings
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Four teenagers were shot in separate incidents Sunday in what was another weekend of gun violence in New York City. Three of the victims died.
The latest shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx.
Police said two men pulled up on scooters beside a cab near the corner of East 178th Street and Webster Avenue and opened fire on 16-year-old Ramon Gil-Medrano in the backseat. He was shot in the head and chest and pronounced dead at Saint Barnabus Hospital.
His single mother, Yvonne Medrano, told CBS2's John Dias she moved him and his two siblings from Puerto Rico to the Bronx 13 years ago for a better life, never expecting something like this to happen.
"She's devastated. They killed her son," her older son, Ivan Franco, translated. "When she saw him, it looked like he was asleep... Everything was too late, it was too late."
The family said Medrano was on his way to a recording studio when he was killed.
"I've pinched myself so many times to see if this is reality. This is reality," said Franco.
Medrano was one of four teenagers who were shot in four separate incidents Sunday.
A 16-year-old in Brooklyn survived getting shot in the thigh near Pitkin Avenue, but two other teens died.
One was killed just minutes after midnight on Quencer Road in Queens.
Another, 13-year-old Jaryan Elliott, was shot around 3:15 p.m. on East 187th Street in the Belmont section of the Bronx. A memorial now sits outside his apartment building.
"I don't even know what to think. I had just seen this kid the other day," said neighbor Nathaniel Washington.
Video shows the moment after Elliott was shot as he took cover in Angels Cafe. A crowd forms around him and outside, many seemingly not knowing what to do.
The NYPD said the shooting was gang-related and the 13-year-old was the intended target.
"Violence just needs to stop. Get the guns off the streets," Bronx resident Dave Thurman said.
"We just got to get together, make the neighborhoods better," resident Javier Rodriguez told CBS2's Kevin Rincon.
This comes as Eric Adams, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, other local leaders and law enforcement officials plan to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House to discuss the nationwide surge in gun violence.
It appears Mayor Bill de Blasio was not invited, but he said he supports the meeting.
"We need as much federal help as possible outside the boundaries of New York City to stop the flow of guns into New York City," he said Monday. "I think the notion of deepening the connection between federal anti-gun efforts and local efforts is absolutely right on."
There have already been 180 more shootings so far this year than last.
Reformed Gang Members Out To Stop The Violence
CBS2's Cory James spoke with former gang members who are trying to stop targeted violence tearing through communities.
More than 300 people have been shot in the Bronx so far this year. Last year, there were 193 shooting victims in the borough.
WATCH: Cory James' 11 p.m. Report On Rehabilitated Gang Members Working To End Gun Violence
And as shootings happen all over the city, community members along with politicians on the state and national level are racing to get it under control.
On Monday, the NYPD released new shooting numbers for the 43rd Precinct. So far, there have been 35 shooting victims in 2021. At this time in 2020, there were 18. That is a 94.4% increase in this area of the Bronx.
Local organizations like Gangsters Making Astronomical Community Change are trying to do its part to help.
Founder Shanduke McPhatter, a rehabilitated gang member, is working with people from similar backgrounds to diffuse conflict between gangs before a trigger is pulled.
"If I can stop you from killing him, what is it that I have to do to make that happen? We can respectfully go to the neighborhood. You're not going to be pegged as a snitch. You not going to be disrespected. We care about saving lives," McPhatter said.
"I might be know one party that knows who is involved in the issue, but I might be the only one talk to that party," rehabilitated gang member Dean Martin Jr. added.
CBS2's Cory James and Kevin Rincon contributed to this report.
