Bronx violence surge spurs calls for change

Gun violence surging in the Bronx

Gun violence is surging in the Bronx, as calls increase for city officials do something to make the streets safe.

NEW YORK - The Bronx has seen a surge of violent crime over the last three days and calls from community members and city officials for change are beginning to grow.

According to the NYPD, so far this year, 57 people have been shot in New York City, a 7 percent increase over the same time period last year, and a 90 percent increase over five years ago.

Recent surveillance video from a bodega in Concourse Village shows suspects pushing their way into the store and shoving an employee to the back where they stabbed him multiple times.

That incident follows a string of attacks and shootings that began Tuesday night when a reputed gang member shot a police officer in the leg.

3 NYPD officers shot in first three weeks of 2022 spur calls for change

Then, on Wednesday, an 11-month-old baby girl was shot in the face by a stray bullet in the Fordham section. Later that afternoon, police responded to a call of an armed robbery that ended with a shootout with the suspect in the Wakefield section.

And last night, a livery cab driver was stabbed in the chest during a dispute with three passengers in Fordham Heights.

A vigil was held Friday night for Catherine Arias, the 11-month-old girl who is celebrating her first birthday in the hospital, recovering from the gunshot wound. One of her cousins set up a GoFundMe to help cover the family's medical expenses.

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As communities continue to reel from the violence spilling out across their streets, a growing number of residents and officials are saying enough is enough.

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark says that the Bronx needs more resources for education, mental health services, homelessness, and job and skills training, but also has zero tolerance for those who choose a life of crime.

"Those people that choose to do that, then we have to, as prosecutors, do what we have to do to hold them accountable for the harm that they're bringing to our community," Clark told FOX 5 NY.