An 18-year-old Brooklyn man was fatally shot on Saturday night and now his family is calling for justice and a stronger police presence in their community.
Heartbroken Mother Remembers Her Son
Krystal Childs was holding back tears during a press conference on May 19. She spoke about her son, Zanir Childs, who was killed on the night of May 17 in a double shooting on New Jersey Avenue in East New York.
“It was his brother, myself, and him,” she recalled. “He absolutely loved football; he also loved his friends and family. He took care of his grandmother as an 18-year-old. He did it for about five years now, and my mom is paralyzed.”
Zanir, who lived on Wortman Avenue in Brooklyn, was shot in the torso and found in cardiac arrest by members of Engine Company 290, who were among the first responders on the scene.
Victim Pronounced Dead at Hospital; Second Person Injured
Emergency Medical Services rushed Childs to Kings County Hospital, where he died shortly afterward.
Childs was not alone with the shooting. An 18-year-old woman was also injured in the shooting, suffering a gunshot wound to her right arm. She was hospitalized in stable condition.
Another Double Shooting Follows Within 24 Hours
The fatal shooting of Childs was just the start of the shootings in the 75th Precinct last weekend. After the May 17 incident, police responded to gunfire inside Highland Park in Cypress Hills on May 18.
For the second shooting, it involved another 18-year-old man who happened to get shot in the right forearm. There was also a 15-year-old that was struck in the left thigh. Both victims were taken to the hospital and listed in stable condition.
Shootings Down, But Victims Still High
Despite these two shootings this past weekend, it looks like shootings have been down in the area. According to NYPD CompStat data, there have been 15 shootings through May 18 this year in the 75th Precinct.
This is slightly down from 18 at the same point in 2023. Keep in mind, those 15 shootings have also resulted in 21 victims.
Calls for Action and Accountability
During the press conference, Reverend Kevin McCall stood with the Childs family and said the NYPD must step up their efforts to protect neighborhoods like East New York from further gun violence.
“It seems like every time the sun comes out, the guns come out,” McCall said. “With billions in funding, the NYPD should prioritize communities like East New York that have long been underserved and disproportionately affected by crime and neglect.”
McCall also urged the shooter to come forward and promised that the community would continue to support the grieving family.
“She is not going to be alone. The community is behind her,” McCall added. “We want to make sure that justice prevails and hope that [the killer doesn’t] sleep until [they] turn yourself in or are caught.”
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