Police have three people in custody in the shooting of five people outside a public housing development in Brooklyn. Officials released a photo of one of the men, 19-year-old Fredrick Marquise, who they say has three prior arrests. NY1’s Michael Herzenberg filed the following report from Red Hook.
A mobile command center is set up while cops drive around Red Hook Houses, and foot patrols at the Gowanus Houses after police say beef between gangs from each public housing development left five people wounded in a shooting.
“It makes me feel sad because whether they live in Gowanus or they live in Red Hook, they just searching for some kind of affection,” said Ray Hall, a community activist with the nonprofit group Red Hook Rise.
Authorities say a vehicle stopped on Dwight Street near Verona Street at Red Hook Houses Monday night, and at least one of the passengers got out and sprayed bullets into a crowd.
Two men and three women were hit, ages ranging from 18 to 22, including a pregnant woman whose fetus later died.
Police say it was revenge for a shooting at the Gowanus Houses.
“They don't care, these young kids. They don’t think,” said one woman who lives in the Gowanus Houses.
She says her 28-year-old son was shot in the leg two months ago.
“Thank god he’s fine now,” the woman said. “He was in a basketball game playing with his friends and some kids came by and did a drive-by shooting and three kids got shot. My son was one of them.”
She said she would like to see more police, more often. At the Red Hook development, some residents made the same plea.
“I believe that there should be more at night, you know, because that's when the teenagers come out,” said another woman.
Some, though, doubt any good comes from those in uniforms and believe a police presence makes things worse.
“It's very, very bad,” said one resident. “Around here, forget about it. And the cops over there where I live, they don't do nothing around here.”
“They start trouble,” said another. “They stop you for no apparent reasons.”
Activist Ray Hall wants to see the distaste and distrust for police diminished with more community oriented policing, supporting Mayor de Blasio's call to do just that. However, he also wants more money put into programs for teens.
Anyone with information about either case is asked to call Crimestoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS, by texting TIP577 to CRIMES, or by going to NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.