14-year-old boy shot dead in Mount Vernon
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. - An investigation is underway into the shooting death of a teenager in Mount Vernon in Westchester County.
Mourners have created a small memorial of candles for the 14-year-old boy who was shot in the courtyard in Levister Towers Thursday morning.
Security kept media at a distance from the colorful memorial at the scene of the shooting, where many are stopping by to remember the boy, whose name has not been released. He was shot dead in the courtyard of Levister Towers Thursday morning.
"It sucks that it's the kids, people my age, a little bit younger that have to experience, go through it, families torn apart because of this. It's a tough thing," said Mount Vernon resident Courtney Taylor.
The 14-year-old was not in school at 10:30 a.m. Thursday when he was shot in the chest. Video taken by a resident shows a figure fleeing from the scene. You can hear someone shouting "freeze."
The shooting happened just yards from a police substation.
"We had officers in the area of 240 South 7th Avenue. They heard what appeared to be gunshots, they responded to the scene," said Chief Marcel Olifiers of the Mount Vernon Police.
First responders rushed the victim to Montefiore Mount Vernon, where he was pronounced dead.
"A child. Not even a young man. This was a child," said Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard.
The mayor got the news while she was in Louisville at a Cities United conference on the plague of gun violence involving young people.
Mount Vernon has numerous initiatives to fight the use of guns to settle disputes, and to provide positive outlets for young people. It's clear more work needs to be done.
"Policing in and of itself cannot stop violence in a community," Patterson-Howard said. "What are we doing to make sure that we're creating the village that our young people need?"
The mayor says a multi-prong approach to fight violence will ramp up in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, police are trying to find an alleged killer, and asking the public for information that will bring justice to the family of the slain 14-year-old.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 914-665-2510. All calls will be kept confidential. You can also submit an anonymous tip by texting "MVPD" and your tip to 847411.