THE BRONX (WABC) — The Bronx district attorney is expressing outrage and frustration over violent and deadly youth crime in her borough.
Crime in the Bronx is increasing, while overall crime in the city is falling.
Bronx DA Darcel Clark is addressing the concern after the murder of 16-year-old high school football player Christopher Redding, who was shot by alleged gang members when he was out with friends last week.
The DA says the teenagers were innocent bystanders just hanging out.
Clark is calling for changes in how young criminals are prosecuted.
“I’m tired of going to the vigils, you know? I’m tired of going to the funerals. I’m tired of announcing indictments against young people,” Clark said.
Clark said the law needs to change.
Last week’s shooting that claimed the life of Redding should have been preventable, she said.
Redding was killed by a stray bullet, and two others were wounded.
All three were innocent bystanders.
A 17-year-old has been charged in connection with the shooting, but two others are still being sought.
At a vigil Wednesday night, Redding’s parents were inconsolable, and Clark urged the accomplices to come forward.
“No one should have to worry about whether or not they’re going to be at the other end of a bullet! So I was angry because I’m tired of saying the same thing over and over,” Clark said.
In 2018, state lawmakers passed the Raise The Age Law, raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18.
Clark insists it has allowed teens to carry weapons with little or no fear of prosecution.
She believes the law should be amended, so most gun arrests will be prosecuted in criminal court, not family court.
“They might have made the biggest mistake of their life. Does that mean that they should go away to prison or jail for the rest of their life? Not necessarily. But they do need to know that there are consequences to their actions,” Clark said.
The Bronx is home to 20 percent of the city’s youth population but accounts for 30 percent of youth gun arrests, 48 percent of youth shooting arrests, and 38 percent of youth shooting victims.
Rob DeLeon of The Fortune Society says no teen should be sent to criminal court unless the crime is particularly serious.
“We don’t want to create this scarlet letter for kids for the rest of their lives where they are charged as adults with their records continuing to haunt them for the rest of their lives because of a mistake that they made when they were young kids,” DeLeon said.
Governor Kathy Hochul has ruled out any changes in the law.
As for youth programs, Clark says her community is chronically shortchanged.
“We need to help the community-based organizations here in the Bronx stand up so they can provide the opportunities for the kids that live right here,” Clark said.
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