NYC under pressure to end gun violence involving minors. Here are the latest statistics.
NEW YORK -- At least six minors have been shot across New York City so far in June, including three since Saturday.
It's a problem CBS New York Investigates has been digging into for years now, an increase in youth violence that started in 2020.
Within the past four days, a 14-year-old was shot in Hamilton Heights, a 17-year-old was shot in Jamaica, and 15-year-old was shot in East Flatbush.
"It's hurtful. It makes me want to get out there even more," said Camara Jackson, a co-leader of Elite Learners, Inc., an anti-violence group that spent Tuesday talking with neighbors near the scene of a recent shooting.
Jackson, along with co-leader Rob Williams, also helped organize a recent youth basketball tournament in Brooklyn.
"It's a safe haven," Jackson said.
"When neighbor meets neighbor, that's when it becomes the neighborhood, community, looking out for each other," Williams added.
Williams said he's happy with the city's efforts, but added more can be done.
The NYPD says 48 people under the age of 18 were shot in the first five months of 2024, an improvement compared to this time last year but still much higher than 2019, when 64 kids were shot during the entire year.
Is NYC doing enough to keep kids safe from gun violence?
Mayor Eric Adams says 15,000 guns have been taken off the streets, adding, "We created, really, a unit that focuses on removing guns."
Adams told CBS New York Investigates repeat criminals aren't facing enough consequences, pointing out that the man charged with NYPD Det. John Diller's murder had about 20 prior arrests.
"We're doing enough. Now the question is are the other parts of the criminal justice system doing enough?" Adams said.
CBS New York Investigates takes deeper dive into statistics
Just like the youth numbers, overall shootings are trending down the past couple years but are still high compared to before the pandemic.
As for other violent crimes, CBS New York Investigates reported back in February that stabbings and slashings of kids increased 48% last year. So, in addition to the gun violence, that remains another big problem, one that's been trending in the wrong direction.
