SoHo shooting: NYC 16-year-old killed by attacker on bike ID'ed
NEW YORK CITY - The 16-year-old boy who was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon in SoHo has been identified, the NYPD said.
According to police, Mahki Brown, of Brooklyn, was fatally shot near Varick and Spring streets, a busy area for Manhattan tourists, bustling with shopping, hotels, and exhibits.
Police say that on Tuesday at around 2:30 p.m., two groups of girls were fighting, and two boys attempted to intervene. That's when authorities say gunshots rang out.
"I'm angry, I'm upset. It's a lot of emotions right now, mixed emotions about this situation. I really don't understand right now," said Ramel Williams, who knew Brown.
Brown was shot once in the head and his right thigh. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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"As a mother, it's very painful," said Lakesha Jenkins, a neighbor of Brown's who knew him from childhood. "Very hurtful because when we send out children out whether to the store or school, wherever we expect our children to come home back to us,"
Brown was a student at the nearby Broome Street Academy Charter High School. Those who knew him say that he was passionate about basketball.
Police are looking for two male suspects who fled on Spring Street following the shooting. At least one of them, police said, was on a Citi Bike.
"We never really have shootings too much. Muggings, yeah, but never shootings like this," said Thomas Libonati, who lives nearby. "What can you do? Things happen. It's happening rampantly all over the city."
According to NYPD statistics, overall April crime was down in the Big Apple by 4.9% compared to the same month last year. Murders were down 30.3%, with 23 this month compared to 33 in April 2023.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.