'What Is Being Done?': Brooklyn Mom Narrowly Escapes Shooting

BROOKLYN, NY — A Brooklyn mother who narrowly escaped a shooting on her block with her young children confronted Mayor Bill de Blasio about escalating gun violence in the city on Friday.

The mother of two, Nicole, called into the Brian Lehrer Show to tell the mayor the harrowing tale, which unfolded Tuesday afternoon as she and her 4 year old son got out of the car two doors from their home below Prospect Park.

"This man in front of me, in front of the neighbors house, started calling down the block. All of the sudden people down the block ran in," she said, her voice shaking. "Shots were fired — I was right there as it happened."

Nicole's son had walked into the house just before the shots rang out, she said. Shell casings were found near where she'd been standing after authorities, who covers the block for hours, arrived, she said.

At least two people were wounded in the shooting, according to police. One victim, a 53-year-old man, was shot in the right arm and the second, a woman, was hit in the leg, police said.

They were both taken from East 18th Street to the hospital in stable condition. Police are still searching for three suspects who fled after the shooting, a spokesperson said Friday.

Nicole told the mayor the shooting has left her scared when leaving the house with her children, or even to take out the garbage.

Her story comes as city officials continue to grapple with gun violence that started to spike last year after the spring lockdowns. Just last March, there was a 77 percent spike in shootings compared to last year.

"This was in broad daylight at 4 in the afternoon," Nicole said. "What is being done?...What comes of it?"

De Blasio has said he believes the increase in violence will abate as the city and its economy bounce back from the coronavirus crisis, which he repeated to Nicole on Friday.

"I’m very sorry you went through that," he said. "...We saw something horrible last year...people lost jobs, schools were closed, things really were falling apart."

The mayor pointed to community-focused initiatives — such as the Cure Violence — that his administration and the NYPD have put in place to quell the shootings. He recently unveiled a pilot program that will use the "Advance Peace!" anti-violence model in five precincts.

NYPD officers have also amped up their presence in areas with violence and cracked down on guns. Cops conducted 492 gun arrests in March this year, an increase of roughly 67 percent over the same point last year, according to the monthly crime statistics.

"I believe this fundamentally this year is going to be very, very different — we’re going in the reverse direction, thank God," de blasio said. "It's very upsetting, but I know we will turn the tide."