The NYPD is calling on the city to help find whoever is responsible for the death of a 12 year-old boy in East Flatbush Thursday night.

According to police, the boy was sitting inside a parked car with two family members eating dinner when he was shot in the head.

“Sitting down, eating in the car, should not be a death sentence,” Mayor Eric Adams said Friday during a news conference. “There are too many guns and a small number of dangerous people who have made up their minds that they’re going to inflict violence on our city. And we’re going to go after them."

The boy’s 20 year-old aunt, the driver of the vehicle, was also shot, police say. She was taken to King's County Hospital in critical but stable condition.

Police say people inside two dark-colored sedans fired shots at each other and the family was caught in the crossfire. An 8 year-old girl in the backseat was uninjured.

People who live in the area are trying to process the violence and its consequences.

The young victim’s mother works at Faith Beauty Salon on Church Avenue, just two blocks from where the shooting occurred. Her co-worker was too distraught to speak on camera. He said the boy was at the salon shortly before the shooting. He described the incident as like a bad dream.

As the investigation continues, the crime is an example of a horrifying trend. According to the NYPD, as of March 15, 24 minors have been shot in the city. It’s an increase of 184% compared to the same period last year — and this data does not include Thursday night’s incident.

At a police promotion ceremony Friday, Chief of Detectives James Essig told new detectives they have important work ahead of them.

“Even at this moment, detectives are out in Brooklyn, where a 12-year-old was shot and killed last night,” Essig said. “And I have all the confidence in the world they will bring this perpetrator to justice.”