14-year-old girl shot dead while riding on bus in Queens

A gunman fired up to 10 shots at the Q6 bus as it idled at Sutphin Boulevard and Rockaway Ave. on Saturday. It was not known if the girl, identified by police as Daja Robinson, was the target. The gunman remained at large.

VIA:dailynews.com

A callous gunman blasted away at a city bus in Queens on Saturday, killing a 14-year-old girl riding inside, officials said.

Police sources said the unidentified shooter fired off up to 10 shots at the Q6 bus as it idled by a bus stop near Baisley Pond Park on Sutphin Boulevard and Rockaway Boulevard in South Jamaica just after 8:45 p.m.

The bus was hit a number of times, police sources said.

One bullet burst through a window, striking 14-year-old passenger Daja Robinson, in the head, police sources said.

It remained unclear Saturday night whether the girl was the gunman’s intended target.

KENDALL RODRIGUEZ FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

It was unknown if the 14-year-old girl was the intended target.

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Paramedics rushed the teen to Jamaica Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her.

The bus remained at the corner throughout the night — cordoned off by police tape — as investigators searched for ballistic evidence.

Onlookers said a group of teens were seen following the girl before shots were fired from the park.

Jamaica resident Jamaal Jefferson, 17, said the victim, who he called Asia, was a student at Andrew Jackson High School.

KENDALL RODRIGUEZ FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The gunman, who has not been identified, is still at large. The 14-year-old girl who was shot and killed was identified as Daja Robinson.

“She was sweet,” Jefferson said. “She was young ... she was going to school, living her life. It’s just a tragedy.”

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Neighborhood straphangers were floored over what happened.

“I’m shocked and kind of scared,” said Tanasha Palmer, 19, a York College biology major. “I take the bus to school every day.”

“It’s outrageous,” added Christopher McIlwain, 47. “First of all, it was a young girl. Secondly, it was useless. A life wasted for what?”

The gunman was still at large Saturday night.

Anyone with information regarding the slaying is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls are confidential.

ttracy@nydailynews.com

19 New Orleans shooting victims included 2 kids

http://news.yahoo.com/video/kids-among-victims-nola-parade-005039558.html

 

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Gunmen opened fire on people marching in a neighborhood Mother's Day parade in New Orleans on Sunday, wounding at least 19.

The shooting — described by the FBI as a flare-up of street violence — shattered the festive mood surrounding the parade that drew hundreds of people to the 7th Ward neighborhood of modest row houses not far from the French Quarter. Cell phone video taken in the aftermath of the shooting shows victims lying on the ground, blood on the pavement and others bending over to comfort them.

At least three of the victims were seriously wounded. Of the rest, many were grazed and authorities said that overall most wounds were not life threatening. No deaths were reported.
The victims included 10 men, seven women, a boy and a girl. The children, both 10 years old, were grazed and in good condition.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu urged witnesses to come forward with information during a news conference Sunday night at a hospital where gunshot victims were taken.
"These kinds of incidents will not go unanswered. Somebody knows something. The way to stop this violence is for you all to help," he said.
Mary Beth Romig, a spokeswoman for the FBI in New Orleans, said federal investigators have no indication that the shooting was an act of terrorism.
"It's strictly an act of street violence in New Orleans," she said.

As many as 400 people came out for the second-line procession — a boisterous New Orleans tradition — though only half that many were in the immediate vicinity of the shooting, said Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas. Officers were interspersed with the marchers, which is routine for such events.

Police saw three suspects running from the scene. No arrests had been made as of early evening.

Outside the hospital on Sunday night, Leonard Temple became teary as he talked about a friend who was in surgery after being shot three times during the parade. Temple was told the man was hit while trying to push his own daughter out of the way.

"People were just hanging out. We were just chilling. And this happened. Bad things always happen to good people," said Temple, who was at the parade but didn't see the shootings.
In the late afternoon, the scene was taped off and police had placed bullet casing markers in at least 10 spots.
Second-line parades are loose processions in which people dance down the street, often following behind a brass band. They can be planned events or impromptu offshoots of other celebrations. They trace their origins to the city's famous jazz funerals.
A social club called The Original Big 7 organized Sunday's event. The group was founded in 1996 at the Saint Bernard housing projects, according to its MySpace page.
The neighborhood where the shooting happened is a mix of low-income and middle-class row houses, some boarded up. As of last year, the 7th Ward's population was about 60 percent of its pre-Hurricane Katrina level.
The crime scene was about 1.5 miles from the heart of the French Quarter and near the Treme neighborhood, which has been the centerpiece for the HBO TV series "Treme."
Sunday's violence comes at a time when the city is struggling to pay for tens of millions of dollars required under a federal consent decree to reform the police department and the city jail.
Shootings at parades and neighborhood celebrations have become more common in recent years as the city has struggled with street crime. Earlier this year, four people were shot following an argument in the French Quarter during the last weekend of partying before Mardi Gras. The victims survived, and several suspects were eventually arrested.
Police vowed to make swift arrests. Serpas said it wasn't clear if particular people in the second line were targeted, or if the shots were fired at random.
"We'll get them. We have good resources in this neighborhood," Serpas said.
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman and Kevin McGill in New Orleans and AP Radio reporter Jackie Quinn in Washington.

Are You Kidding Me?? NRA pushes guns on kids as young as Newtown victims in sick 'Youth Day'

NRA caps annual convention by enticing children as as young as 3 to fire weapons -- and even offers them free six-month memberships.


VIA:nydailynews.com

The National Rifle Association capped its annual convention Sunday by hosting a “Youth Day” — enticing youngsters to attend by offering free six-month memberships.
Billed by the NRA as a family-fun outing, the event drew hundreds of kids. Some of the attendees were the age of the Newtown massacre victims, others too young to know the difference between a toy gun and a real one.
“Spend the day exploring 400,000 square feet of exhibit hall containing over 550 exhibitors from across the country. Share the excitement with spectacular displays and fun-filled events for the entire family,” the NRA wrote on its website.
The event was staged a day after the NRA welcomed its youngest lifetime member, 3-year-old Elaih Wagan, whose grandfather purchased the membership.



Activities inside Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center prompted outrage outside.
“They shouldn’t be teaching kids how to use guns. What happens when they get older? They might become like that Connecticut killer,” said Cal Castille, 24, of Houston, referring to Newtown gunman Adam Lanza.
Anti-gun protesters, reading names of gun-violence victims across the street from the convention center, said the NRA event was akin to “brainwashing these kids to love guns.”


This is indoctrination,” said Jose Sequeiros, 67, of Houston. “These kids are too young to see that guns are wrong.”
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Heather Ross, 27, said organizers of the event were tone deaf, given the horrific mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December.
“It agitates me that these people don’t think it could happen to their children,” said Ross of Austin. “This is just beyond words.”


In the convention center, pint-sized gun enthusiasts, some taught about the Second Amendment before they learned to read, perused the latest makes and models of firearms.
“I like guns because guns are fun,” said 9-year-old Kaykay Mace, who attended the NRA Youth Day with her dad, Scott, and big sister, Calla, 11.
Scott Mace, 37, called the event “a fun thing to do.”

David Handschuh/New York Daily News

Attendees browse weapons at the at the NRA Conference.

“If a child understands how to properly and safely shoot, then they become much safer,” he said. “In a bad situation, they will understand what needs to be done.”
Calla Mace said she enjoys going to gun ranges and bragged, “I’m a pretty good shot.”
“I’ve shot a .22 rifle before and a handgun,” Calla said.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kidding-nra-pushes-guns-kids-young-newtown-victims-sick-youth-day-article-1.1335901#ixzz2SaT3bXvA