Youth violence has skyrocketed within the Massive Apple over the previous few years, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated Tuesday — as she positioned the blame on the state’s contentious “Raise the Age” legislation.
The variety of youngsters beneath the age of 18 busted with a gun elevated by a whopping 136% between 2018 and 2024, the highest cop stated alongside Mayor Eric Adams at against the law stats briefing held at Metropolis Corridor.
Over the identical interval, Tisch stated the variety of underage shooters soared 192%, whereas the variety of juvenile victims of gun violence spiked by 81%.
“I have seen enough,” Tisch stated of the surging youth crime, whereas pointing the finger at Albany’s soft-on-crime legislation that raised the age of felony accountability to 18.
The NYPD couldn’t instantly present the precise numbers tied to the share will increase cited by the commissioner.
However to date in 2025, 36 — or 14% — of suspected shooters within the 5 boroughs have been beneath the age of 18, she stated.
And 44 taking pictures victims — additionally 14% — have been beneath the age of 18 to date this 12 months, in accordance with Tisch.
She stated the spike was a results of Elevate the Age, which was signed by then-governor – and now mayoral candidate – Andrew Cuomo on April 10, 2017, and took impact in October 2019.
The legislation upped the age for a teen to face grownup prices to 18, from the earlier 16- and 17-year-old threshold.
“The idea behind this was one that we could all agree on: children should not be treated like adults in our criminal justice system,” Tisch stated.
“But when the age of criminal responsibility went up, the age of criminal suspects went down.”
Gangs and crews are actually recruiting ever-younger members – who “carry the guns and commit the shootings, the robberies and the assaults” – with the intention to evade severe penalties, in accordance with the commissioner.
“Seriously bad things come from a consequence-free environment, and right now juveniles who commit crimes in New York City are living in a virtually consequence-free environment,” she stated.
Tisch’s feedback got here per week after a 13-year-old boy was busted within the homicide of an harmless 28-year-old plumber’s apprentice from Yonkers who was merely assembly his out-of-town good friend within the Bronx when he was shot lifeless.
The teenager turned himself in on Might 27 to face prices of second-degree homicide, first-degree manslaughter and felony use of a firearm within the broad-daylight April 23 taking pictures loss of life of bystander Daoud Marji, police stated.
It was a part of the troubling development outlined by Tisch that more and more exhibits children changing into each the perpetrators — and victims — of gun violence.
Earlier in Might, Evette Jeffrey, a 16-year-old lady using her scooter close to a schoolyard was shot within the head and killed by a stray bullet — which was fired by a 14-year-old who was handed a gun by a 13-year-old, in accordance with cops.
The tragic Might 12 taking pictures stemmed from a beef between rival road gangs — Forest Over All the pieces and the upstart crew Kreep On Davidson — primarily based on the Davidson Homes housing mission in Morrisania, in accordance with NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
“She was an innocent bystander who was simply trying to take cover behind the brick wall and was struck in the head by one of the rounds,” Kenny stated on the time in regards to the younger sufferer.
“The victim, Evette Jeffrey, was not involved in this dispute.”
Tisch’s startling feedback got here as she and Adams introduced a extra promising crime development — a dip in taking pictures and murders to date this 12 months.
From January by means of Might, the Massive Apple noticed the bottom variety of shootings and murders in recorded historical past, statistics present.
Town additionally set a report for the bottom variety of shootings and murders within the month of Might, the officers stated.
The mayor and prime cop additionally touted the NYPD’s seizure of greater than 2,200 unlawful firearms from the streets because the starting of 2025.
