Community, activists hold vigil condemning shooting of 7-month-old in Brooklyn
Community activists and leaders held a vigil to condemn what police believe was gang violence in Brooklyn that led to the death of 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore.
A 7-month-old baby was shot to death at Moore and Humboldt Streets in East Williamsburg while his family was out for a walk.
On the eve of Easter Sunday, elected officials, community activists and religious leaders offered the family hope and healing through the power of worship.
“Prayer is the key to everything, right? We need to pray even in the most difficult moments. And in the moments when we don’t know what to do. We have no resources. We go to prayer. So why not get the congregation together and pray?” said Minister Alejandro Zayas.
NYPD arrested 18-year-old Matthew Rodriguez on Friday. Detectives tracked the suspected driver of the motorcycle involved to Pennsylvania.
Amuri Green, 21, the alleged shooter seen in the back of the moped, appeared in court on Friday. The charges include murder and attempted murder.
Police said they are investigating whether the target of the incident, which they are investigating as a possible gang-related shooting, was the baby’s father.
The family of a 7-month-old baby is calling for more resources for young people and community engagement.
“We’ve failed in some way for generations. We’ve failed a lot of these young kids. They don’t know. They don’t know. They don’t have morals,” they said.
Attorney General Letitia James said more needed to be done to remove guns from the streets.
“If you have a gun, an illegal weapon, you’re an attorney and you can contact my office, you can contact the District Attorney’s Office. We’ll give you some resources in exchange for that gun,” James said.
The loss of baby Kaori has hit the community hard and residents are at a loss for words.
For now, the family is focused on keeping the baby’s memory alive.
“We don’t want anyone to go through this,” said grandmother Linda Oyinkoinyan.
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