New York City mom Miraida Gomez was in a vehicle parked at East 198th Street/Valentine Avenue on Jan. 19, when her infant daughter sustained a gunshot to the face. Gomez stated that “these judges shouldn’t feel pressured to release individuals who carry a weapon. They should be pressed for them to charge them.”
New York Police Department (NYPD), is still searching for the man who shot Gomez’s daughter. The NYPD Crime Stoppers Unit offers a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of this man.
Police have confirmed that the gunman was fighting another man in the Bronx at 6:45 p.m. when shots rang out. On the video, the suspect can be seen running past pedestrians and through the busy intersection with his gun pointed.
Gomez didn’t respond to questions about her daughter’s recovery. She instead focused on reforms she believed were necessary to end what she called a “vicious circle.”
She wrote that “if there’s anything that needs to be changed, it’s bail law, license-to-carry laws, and the fine print about how someone licensed can sell a firearm for someone not licensed to bear,” “Bail reform is needed to make it more difficult for people who are arrested with firearms to be released.
Gomez stated that there are enough taxpayer dollars to fund larger prisons if necessary. She said that it was “unfortunate that crimes such as the one that impacted her family often occur in communities of color.”
Eric Adams, the Mayor of Alexandria, told reporters that the father of the baby pulled his car over to go into a nearby shop but was stopped by “his wife screaming” after he heard it.
Adams described Adams’ reaction to Adams saying, “Coming out and seeing his wife holding the baby and a pink coat stained with red blood from his son,” “It’s unimaginable. It’s unimaginable that such a thing is happening in our city.”
Adams stated that the bullet went through the head of the girl. Although she was severely injured, she was expected to survive. To help the family, loved ones have set up a GoFundMe page.
After the shooting, the mayor spoke to the family in the hospital and called them “the bedrock” of the city.
Two police officers were also shot that week in the Bronx, while another was injured on Staten Island. All three officers survived. Two more detectives, Wilbert Mora (27 years old) and Jason Rivera (222), were also shot by a Harlem domestic violence suspect. Both men died.
There had been 94 shootings in New York City so far this year, with 104 people being injured. This time last year, there were 71 shootings and only 79 victims.
Biden will be traveling to New York City along with U.S. attorney general Merrick Garland in order to meet with Mayor Adams as well as Gov. Kathy Hochul and other city officials.
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said Tuesday that the group will first visit NYPD headquarters to “discuss the work of federal and state law enforcement officials in quickly taking guns and repeat shooters off our streets.” Psaki stated that they will then travel to Queens where they will meet with intervention leaders and community violence prevention groups.
Nieves, speaking through a Spanish interpreter, said that “this is what happened to me and it should not happen again.” “We must get guns off the streets to ensure that no one suffers this.”
