'It's more like the zoo.' Williamsbridge residents say area of Monday night's shooting has raised concerns for a while
Police say one of the intended targets used the 40-year-old mother as a human shield during the ordeal. The NYPD called it a brazen and heartless attack on innocent New Yorkers.
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Less than 24 hours later, the area of Williamsbridge where six people were shot Monday evening looked almost like nothing had happened.
Some broken glass outside of 3544 White Plains Rd. was about the only sign, with Justin Lozada, who lives down the street saying "that is New York for you, and it's sad but it is, most people will look at this be like oh man, that's sad and we move on, let me go protect my own."
Most residents were concerned by exactly what happened though, with policing saying two men shot into a group, which sent some of them running into a convenience store.
At least one intended target threw themselves behind a 40-year-old mother, who got hit, along with her 12-year-old daughter.
Another neighbor, who asked not to be named, said something like that shows that "nobody cares, they think quick, by themselves, selfishly, before they think oh this is a child, this is a mother that has a kid."
Police say they are investigating whether or not the shooting was gang-related. A possibility that made the neighbor one of many who were too scared to be on camera, adding that "it's outrageous. Kids are getting hurt, mothers are getting hurt, families are getting broken."
While it is a busy area, with the Gun Hill Road subway station and Gun Hill Houses right there, residents say at night, it gets taken over by drugs being used and sold.
"It's more like the zoo after five o'clock," said Lozada. "After five o'clock, my wife don't come outside."
NYPD numbers do show that shootings in the area were down by 25 percent in 2024, but Mondays did happen just a few blocks from where an 82-year-old was shot in the back in August, and literally right next to a memorial for another man who was shot and killed.
Meeting the media on Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged that, "Those numbers mean nothing when you see a horrific incident like that."
Lozada calls it sad, saying "this is where I was born, this is where I was raised... This is horrible. for real, I don't see why anybody would want to live over here."
Luckily, all six people who were hit are expected to be alright. Police meanwhile are still looking for the two suspects.
