Teens, 13 And 16, Shot Inside Harlem Restaurant; City Council Calls On Albany To Help Address Gun Violence
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Several members of the City Council are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to change the bail reform law. They believe it will help reduce an increase in shootings.
The request comes after two teenagers were shot in the city on Wednesday night, CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported.
Surveillance video captured the shooting's aftermath. Young men are seen running. One of the victims doubles over and then collapses on the street.
"It's like lawlessness right now," one person said.
Police said it all happened inside a Mama's Fried Chicken in Harlem at around 8:45 p.m. A 13-year-old and 16-year-old were both shot and injured. Investigators believe they were targeted, but are not sure why.
"From video surveillance we have a person who is probably more than likely a teenager, himself, go into the crowded restaurant, points a gun and fires multiple shots inside," NYPD Deputy Chief Brian McGee said.
The teen victims are among the latest, as gun violence continues to plague city streets, particularly among young people.
Last week alone, three 16-year-olds were shot and killed in separate incidents, and an innocent 16-year-old was shot in the head and survived at a park in Brooklyn.
On Thursday, Hochul joined the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania to announce the four states will share gun crime data, in an effort to prevent violence.
"People deserve to have leadership, people who are going to work together to find solutions," Hochul said.
Several City Council members say they also have an idea for a solution. They sent a letter to Hochul and state lawmakers, asking them to fix state laws they believe are contributing to the shooting spike.
"When someone is caught and arrested with a firearm, they're immediately released and they're caught again. They're immediately released. We're seeing the results of that every single day," Councilman Oswald Feliz said.
The councilmembers, nearly all Democrats, did not explicitly say "bail reform," but they, and advocates, are requesting changes that would:
- Give judges discretion to remand individuals caught with guns
- Fix the process that allows the almost-immediate release of individuals arrested for gun violence where their case is transferred to family court
"We don't fear the NYPD killing our children. We fear other children, other teenagers, that look like us who have access to guns with no accountability, killing our children," said Mona Davids of the NYC Parents Union.
As for the Harlem restaurant shooting, police are still searching for the suspect.
CBS2 reached out to Hochul, the state Senate and state Assembly for comment on the letter and is waiting to hear back.
Anyone with information about any of the shootings is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or for Spanish, 1-888-577-4782. Tips can also be sent to the NYPDTips Twitter account or submitted online at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.
CBS2's Kevin Rincon contributed to this report. This story first appeared on October 7, 2021.