YONKERS, N.Y. — Rep. Jamaal Bowman released the following statement Friday in response to the shooting last night of a 6-year-old boy in Yonkers:
“This morning, I was alarmed to hear of the news that a 6-year-old boy was shot in Yonkers, and disturbed to learn that it was the result of teenagers exchanging gunfire. First and foremost, we are sending love, strength, and healing to this young boy and his family. Children should be able to live happily and in peace, free of violence.
“My number one priority is the safety of our communities, and particularly the safety of our children. We are in touch with local authorities, who have taken the shooters into custody. We are checking in with local authorities to ensure the family is supported through this process. This violence is too common of an occurrence.
“In addition, we will continue to work to break the cycles that have trapped too many of our youth on the wrong path. The violence inflicted on this child was the extension of a cycle of violence that has, unfortunately, carried on for far too long. And that cycle is the result of policy choices that have neglected Black and brown communities. We need to invest in your youth and provide them with ample resources to break that cycle and realize their potential. In addition, we need to do more to take guns out of the hands of our youth by instituting federal gun laws that make it harder to bring unregistered and illegal guns from outside of our state into our communities. Most importantly, we need to continue to move resources into these communities and listen to them about their needs. Sending love and healing to our Yonkers community.”
###