Teen inside livery cab shot in Bronx; Adams heads to DC to talk crime
MOUNT HOPE, Bronx (WABC) -- NYC Mayoral Candidate Eric Adams traveled to Washington to discuss crime with President Biden amid an uptick in gun violence across the city.
New York City is coming off a violent weekend, especially in the Bronx, where two teenagers were killed.
In all, shootings are up nearly 29% so far this year as calls for something to be done to curb the violence grow louder.
In the latest incident, a teenage boy was shot and killed while sitting inside a for-hire vehicle at East 178th Street and Valentine Avenue in the Mount Hope section overnight Monday.
Police say two people on scooters rolled up to a livery cab and shot the passenger, 16-year-old Ramon Gil-Medrano, in the head and chest at around 11:30 p.m.
Gil-Medrano had survived a previous shooting on July 7, 2020. He has five prior arrests, three of which were for gun possession. His most recent arrest was in February of this year.
So far, there are no arrests in his murder.
That is just the latest incident in a string of deadly encounters this weekend.
The violence comes as Adams made his way to Washington. The mayoral candidate made crime-fighting a hallmark of his campaign.
Adams participated in a meeting Monday with President Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and others on ways to reduce gun violence.
Adams previewed one of his ideas Sunday on ABC's "This Week." He says we should fight crime like we fight terrorism.
"We should create something like the JTTF, Joint Terrorist Task Force. This is what we did to fight terrorism. Why are we ignoring the violence in the inner - in the cities? You know why, George? They're Black, brown and poor. We ignored them," Adams said.
Earlier Sunday, about a mile away from the livery cab shooting, police say a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed. They say he was the intended target.
The victim was identified as Jaryan Elliott. They believe the child was involved in a local gang, leading to the shooting.
Both the homicides are believed to be connected to each other, as well as to another shooting Wednesday that killed 19-year-old Tyquill Daugherty.
It is believed all three shootings are a deadly string of retaliation and connected to ongoing battles between crews and gangs.
Residents in the Bronx said they hope Adams can make a difference.
"He knows what it's like, he grew up in that environment," Angie Germosen said. "He knows what real change is...I have hope he could be the great next big mayor. And he's going to give, especially the Bronx, a lot of hope."
The president recently announced new efforts to stem the tide of violence, but the federal government is limited in what it can do to help localities reduce the spike. His plan focuses on providing funding to cities that need more police, offering community support and cracking down on gun violence and supplying illegal firearms.
The current mayor said he doesn't feel slighted in the least for not being invited to the White House. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Adams as the likely next mayor needs to be there.
"And I think it makes sense that Eric brings a particular perspective from 20+ years as a police officer, so I think it is great that he is there and I want them to listen to his voice," De Blasio said.
Adams, a former New York Police Department captain, is the prohibitive favorite in the general election against Curtis Sliwa, the Republican founder of the Guardian Angels. Democrats outnumber Republicans 7-to-1 in New York City.
Adams won a crowded primary after appealing to the political center and promising to strike the right balance between fighting crime and ending racial injustice in policing.
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(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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