WANTED: Scumbag mugger of 85-yr-old on Washington Ave. (71st Precinct)

ON 8-14-08 AT APPROX 1650 HRS I/S/O 1015 WASHINGTON AVE. IN THE CONFINES OF THE 71 PCT., A F/B/85 WAS ASSAULTED THEN ROBBED. THE SUSPECT A M/B/20'S - 30'S FOLLOWED THE VICTIM INTO THE ELEVATOR AT THE ABOVE LOCATION AND PLACED THE VICTIM IN A CHOKE HOLD. HE THEN REMOVED PROPERTY FROM THE VICTIM AND FLED ON FOOT. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE SUSPECT MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR OTHER SIMILAR ROBBERIES IN THE CONFINES OF THE 70 & 71 PRECINTS. DETECTIVES FROM THE CENTRAL ROBBERY SQUAD ARE REQUESTING THE PUBLIC'S ASSISTANCE IN IDENTIFYING THE SUSPECT DEPICTED IN THE VIDEO ATTACHED.

ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE INCIDENT IS ASKED TO CALL THE NYPD'S CRIME STOPPERS HOTLINE AT 800-577-TIPS.

THE PUBLIC CAN ALSO TEXT THEIR TIPS TO 274637 (CRIMES), THEN ENTER TIP577. ALL INFORMATION SHALL BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.

PERSONS WITH INFORMATION MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR A REWARD OF UP TO $12,000.

Man shot, Washington & Empire (71st Precinct)

ON 08/09/08 AT APPROXIMATELY 0110 HOURS, IN THE PARKING LOT AT EMPIRE BLVD AND WASHINGTON AVENUE, WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE 71 PRECINCT, POLICE RESPONDED TO A CALL OF A MALE SHOT. UPON ARRIVAL, POLICE DETERMINED THAT AN UNIDENTIFIED M/B/20s APPROACHED A PARKED VEHICLE AT THE LOCATION ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE. POLICE DISCOVERED THE MALE UNCONSCIOUS AND UNRESPONSIVE, DOWN, WITH A GSW TO THE CHEST. EMS RESPONDED AND TRANSPORTED THE MALE TO KCH IN CRITICAL CONDITION. NO ARRESTS. THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.

2 Neighborhood Teenagers Surrender in Brooklyn Boy’s Shooting

By Christine Hauser

NY Times, 7/7/08

There were nearly a dozen spent bullet casings, a bicycle and an abandoned sneaker. There were also angry neighbors wanting to know who could have fired the shot that hit a 9-year-old boy in the head, and why.

The boy, Shamshawan Kelly, was hit in the head by crossfire on Monday night outside his building at the Weeksville Gardens Houses in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. By Wednesday, the search for suspects was over, and it ended with a surrender.

The police said that Luis Gonzalez, 18, who lives in the same building as Shamshawan, turned himself in on Tuesday afternoon accompanied by a lawyer, and that another suspect, Johnathan Frazier, 18, of nearby Bergen Street, went to the police with his mother that night.

They face charges of attempted murder, assault, and weapons possession, said Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.

Mr. Kelly said that a third youth, Franklin Gillespie, 17, of Dean Street near Albany Avenue, was arrested on an unrelated robbery charge. While he did not fire any shots outside Shamshawan's building, he played a central role in the events that led to the gunfight, according to an account given to the police.

Full story here.

Boy, 9, Struck In Head By Stray Bullet In Brooklyn

Shamshawan Kelly Shot Outside His Home
While Playing On The Street

Community Says It Has Had It With Gun Violence

WCBS-TV

A 9-year-old Brooklyn boy continues to fight for his life after he was caught in the crossfire of a gun battle outside his home।

Neighbors say they are fed up with the violence. The community is coming together over this awful tragedy.

On Tuesday night on Pacific Avenue, where 9-year-old Shamshawan Kelly was shot in the crossfire, hundreds gathered to pray for his recovery.

"And so we are praying that you raise him out of that bed and make him better than ever before," one neighbor said to the crowd.

Kelly's brother said the gatherings are making a difference.

"You think the chips are down things like this … people like ya'll show me why life and love is important," John Flocker said.

Just after 9 p.m. on Monday on the sidewalk outside the Weeksville Houses where Kelly lives, a gunfight broke out between two men.

Kelly was shot in the head by a stray bullet. The heartless gunmen took off, leaving the young boy bleeding on the ground.

His story has the city demanding change.

"Tragedy... This is a child who should be in school in four weeks, now we pray the child just lives," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Jackie Rowe Adams of Harlem Mothers SAVE had a message for the community.

"Young people listen to me. Stop with these guns. If you see something say something. It's not snitching. It's saving a life," Adams said.

Community advocates urged the neighborhood to take control of their streets, embrace their children and vow to protect their future.

While Shamshawan Kelly's condition is improving, his family is facing yet another challenge. They have no medical insurance to pay for his hospital bills. The community is establishing a fund at Carver Bank to help them with their financial struggle.