Longwood business owners say local violence hurting their bottom line, causing safety concerns
A deadly shooting and slashing shut down a busy commercial strip in Longwood on Tuesday.
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Police have identified Shannon Kelsey, an 18-year-old who was shot and killed on Tuesday along Southern Boulevard near Westchester Avenue.
Kelsey was shot in the chest after a fight broke out along the street just before 4 p.m. A 15-year-old boy suffered from a laceration to the lip and a 38-year-old man was shot in the leg. Both are expected to recover.
The violence happened in the middle of a bustling commercial business district, forcing owners to close their stores early as investigators went door to door looking for evidence.
"Actually, our business was frozen," said David Abadi, who owns Players sportswear store along Southern Boulevard.
Abadi says his store was blocked off by crime scene tape from 4 p.m. on Tuesday until noon on Wednesday.
"Nowadays, every day counts, you have employees, you have companies, salaries, everything, it hurts," said Abadi.
Abadi has owned his store on the strip since 2005.
"We have been seeing a lot of kids, teenagers, smoking outside, sometimes they come inside the store in bad condition, and we don't know how to deal with them, that's what the scary part," said Abadi.
The Southern Boulevard Business Improvement District has been working to improve the neighborhood over the last several years.
“Businesses are worried, it puts a small dent into what we are trying to do on Southern Boulevard," said Jay Medina, Director of the BID.
According to the NYPD, there have been five shootings in the 41st precinct as of July 6th, down from nine at the same time last year. Shootings have dropped by 61.5% over the last two years.
