In a shocking incident outside a high-end hotel in Soho, New York City police say a teenager was shot in the head near the outdoor Urban Plaza.
The victim, identified as Mahki Brown of Crown Heights, Brooklyn was a 16-year-old student from Broome Street Academy Charter High School. He succumbed to his injuries at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.
The teen loved basketball and participated in a league organized by a group advocating against gun violence, according to statements from family and friends on Wednesday.
It is believed that a dispute broke out between two groups of girls before shots were fired when two boys intervened. In a photo shared by police, two suspects are seen leaving the crime scene using a Citi Bike.
The attack took place a little before 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, and officials suspect a potential connection to a dispute related to school. The critically wounded teen was discovered in an alley next to the Dominick Hotel on Spring Street, directly across from Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School.
Police said that the boy sustained a single gunshot wound to the head and two wounds to the leg.
Eyewitness Justo Cruz, a security guard in the area, described the scene as unsettling, pointing out the visible injuries on the teenager.
A staff member from a nearby parking facility revealed that the sound of gunfire immediately triggered concerns for personal safety, causing a brief moment of panic among bystanders. He reflected on the situation’s impact, particularly considering the victim’s young age.
“He’s always trying to help somebody. He helps everybody,” his distraught mom, Shawn, said outside their apartment Wednesday.
The 67th Precinct Clergy Council, a Brooklyn organization nicknamed “The Godsquad”, also honored Brown’s memory, noting his participation on the nonprofit’s basketball team.
This incident, the motives of which are still unclear, is part of a wider surge in violence involving teenagers in New York City this week.
On Tuesday, in Brooklyn, two 15-year-old boys were stabbed following an escalating school conflict, at South Second Street and Keap Street in Williamsburg. The victims sustained injuries to the arm, neck, and buttocks and are now in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital. Police are currently searching for two teenage suspects who were last seen wearing ski masks.
On Wednesday, two 15-year-old boys fell victim to a stabbing incident just outside a McDonald’s in the Bronx, marking yet another instance of the distressing wave of violence among youth that has hit New York City.
One boy suffered a stab wound to the chest and the other received a slash wound on his hand right outside the fast-food outlet located at 1600 Boston Road in Charlotte Gardens shortly before 4 p.m., as reported by the police.
Emergency services swiftly transported the injured teenagers to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, where they were treated for injuries that were determined not to be life-threatening.