16-Year-Old Isaiah Levine Killed In Double Shooting On Lower East Side, Second Victim In Hospital
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A double shooting Friday night on the Lower East Side has left a 16-year-old dead and a second victim in the hospital.
Police arrived to the intersection of Delancey and Suffolk streets just after 8:30 p.m., CBS2's Christina Fan reported.
Officers found the teenager unconscious in the street after being shot in the face. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, but he could not be saved, police said.
A second victim, a 24-year-old man, was shot in the hip. He is expected to recover.
Witnesses said the intersection where it happened was busy and packed with people enjoying the warm, fall evening.
"We just heard five pops. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop," said one woman.
"Very loud. So we knew it was on this block," said another.
The 16-year-old victim has been identified as Isaiah Levine.
BREAKING: The 16 year old boy who was shot and killed in the Lower East Side last night has been identified as Isaiah Levine. His family tells me, they're in shock. @CBSNewYork #nyc #newyork #gunviolence #crime pic.twitter.com/oLvzwl8mVJ
— Kiran Dhillon (@KiranDhillonTV) October 16, 2021
Isaiah's family says they are heartbroken by what happened.
As a memorial grows around his Manhattan apartment building, Isaiah's sister Jaylees Hernandez remembers her brother.
"Beyond. I have no words. Like, I can't breathe. I was crying looking at his pictures all over the house," she told CBS2's Kiran Dhillon.
One of 15 siblings, his main priority was his family.
"He was a joker. Like, he always wanted to make you happy," Hernandez said. "He liked to hang out with his friends. That's one thing he put before a lot of things was his friends. He loves his family, especially mama love, loved her most."
Sources tell CBS2 Levine was a member of the "Pitt Street Crew" gang. He has at least eight prior arrests, including two robberies.
His family says he had been incarcerated for past eight months but had been released just 10 days ago.
"Excited, that's why he wanted to be outside. He was excited. He had been in there so long," Hernandez said.
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Isaiah's death is the latest in an alarming rise of teenagers killed by guns.
According to the NYPD, fatal shootings of victims age 17 and younger more than doubled this year compared to the same period last year.
Another shooting sent a teen to the hospital Friday around 10 p.m. The 18-year-old was hit in the stomach on Seaview Avenue in Canarsie, Brooklyn.
Isaiah's family says he was a good person and didn't deserve what happened to him.
"It just needs to stop, that's it, but it's too late to speak now. It's one of my own," Hernandez said. "We love him with all our heart. He's never forgotten, and that's Isaiah. We love him."
Police say it's unknown whether this was a gang-related shooting or if Isaiah or the other victim were targeted. They have no information on suspects.
CBS2's Kiran Dhillon contributed to this report.