Shooting Victim, Pols Protest In L.I.C.
One week after being injured by a stray bullet fired by a gunman outside the Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City, a 15-year-old girl returned home from the hospital on Monday afternoon, Oct. 1, and participated in a rally among local residents and community leaders calling for an end to a recent rash of gun violence in the community.
The teenage victim, whose identity was withheld due to her age, sustained a gunshot wound to her left hand after being hit by a stray shot allegedly fired from the street by 37- year-old Day Bryant early last Sunday morning, Sept. 23, according to police.
Law enforcement sources said Bryant, a resident of Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, allegedly raised a pistol into the air and fired four shots- including the one that hit the teenager-while standing outside the Queensbridge Houses at 40-15 10th St. at around 5:10 a.m. on Sept. 23.
Members of the 114th Precinct and EMS units responded to the location. The teenage girl was taken to a local hospital for treatment of the gunshot wound.
Following an investigation by the 114th Precinct Detective Squad, police noted, Bryant was tracked down last Wednesday, Sept. 26, and charged with criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
While Bryant remains in custody on $500,000 bail, the teenage victim was released from the Weill Cornell Medical Center on Monday in time to join the anti-violence rally outside the Queensbridge Houses, which concluded with a march to the nearby Jacob Riis Settlement House.
City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer organized the protest in the wake of the Sept. 23 shooting and similar acts of violence involving guns which have occurred in recent weeks in the area of the housing project. Among those who also participated in the event were City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, State Sen. Michael Gianaris and Bishop Mitchell Taylor of the Center of Hope International.
Elected officials called on the state and city to impose stricter gun laws aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals as well as increased police presence in the area. Van Bramer also stated that the city should invest resources toward youth programs, such as those offered at the Riis Settlement House, to keep the area’s youngest residents out of trouble and on a path to success.
“One shooting in our community is one too many,” Van Bramer said. “We must invest more into our youth in an effort to put an end to future generations of individuals suffering from gun violence.”
“And while the most recent shooting incident in Queensbridge Houses is outrageous in itself, what’s even more disturbing is that it is yet one more in a growing number of episodes of gun violence in this neighborhood,” Maloney added.
“We must do more to ensure the safety of the families making a home in our community,” Gianaris said, “starting with enacting laws making it more difficult for guns to fall into the wrong hands. My heart goes out to the victims and their families, and I urge everyone to be vigilant as we continue to improve safety and fight gun violence on our streets.”
“Getting guns off the streets is a fundamental way to reduce shootings that result in killings and injuries,” said Marshall. “When a child is shot, it is incumbent on all of us to come together, unite against gun violence and express our outrage.”
