BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A mother sat on her porch feet away from where her 11-year-old daughter was shot just two nights ago. A sign on her porch shows her message: Let the kids be kids... Stop the kid violence. She asked not to be identified because she's afraid of retaliation.
"When you shot my child... They shot everybody's childhood out here."
A street where kids are normally playing is now littered with toys.
"This is a street where kids are up and down, running, playing, and in the past few days there hasn't been one kid enjoying themselves."
She said she's upset children can no longer enjoy an innocent childhood.
"Your steps are not safe. Children have died inside their house, on their way in the house, outside in cars. There is no where that is safe. When does that stop?"
She is worried about how normalized this behavior has become.
"As [her daughter said], 'We're going to go back to school and ask us how our summer was it was good. I got shot,' That's not a conversation I want my kids to have."
Her daughter was shot in the foot. She said she's blessed it wasn't worse and feels for those who haven't been as fortunate.
"I know the pain that I feel has to be ten times worse in the case for the ones whose children didn't make it."
17-year-old Paul Humphrey, 15-year-old Tyshawn Burts, and 12-year-old Badraldeen Elwaseem were gunned down within the past six months. That's a start juxtaposition from what Mayor Byron Brown said at the beginning of the summer.
"Our police department is driven to working with the residents of the community. Working with peace makers and block clubs to make sure we reduce shootings, violence and homicide in our community. I think it's that relentless approach that we have in the city of Buffalo that has helped us to reduce shootings to a nine year low in the city," Mayor Brown said.
Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo made similar comments.
"We're seeing a greater than average homicide clearance rate this year than in the past. We're seeing a lower number of homicides. We're at a nine year low for shootings," said Captain Rinaldo.
He attributes some of the arrests made are due to the public coming forward. Captain Rinaldo also added cases like these, involving children, don't simply get looked at and go into a file. They stay open for as long as it takes tot solve them.
