In a disturbing incident that unfolded in the early hours of Wednesday, an 8-year-old Hispanic boy, Jace, found himself victim to a random act of violence. As he was sleeping peacefully in his Medford, Long Island home, the Maldonado family residence was showered with bullets. Jace was grazed by one of these stray shots, leading to his urgent hospitalization.
Meanwhile, in a parallel incident that occurred early on the same Wednesday morning, a 4-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet outside a bodega on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. These two incidents cast a grim shadow over the city, raising questions about public safety.
Back in Long Island, Suffolk County police are actively hunting for the perpetrator responsible for firing at the Maldonado family home. Iris Maldonado, Jace’s mother, informed NBC News that approximately ten shots were fired at their residence, leaving visible bullet holes scattered across the exterior.
Concurrently, on the Upper West Side, the investigation into the bodega incident continues. Similar to the Maldonado family’s ordeal, authorities are working tirelessly to apprehend the individual responsible for the child’s injury.
Inside the Maldonado home, Jace was asleep on the couch when the bullet grazed his hip, narrowly missing his cousin who was sleeping next to him. Miraculously, while some gunfire entered an adjoining room where two other people were sleeping, no one else in the house was injured.
Later, after his release from the hospital, Jace had a visit from Commissioner Rodney Harrison. “He pulled up his shirt, showed the Band-Aid he had and said he was fine. I told him he was a very brave young man,” recounted Harrison.
In the aftermath of the shooting, neighbors expressed shock and disbelief. Phil Rodriguez, who lives on the same block as the Maldonados, said there has never been any trouble at their home. He described them as “very quiet” and people who “don’t bother anyone”.
As detectives scramble to piece together the motives behind the Maldonado shooting, a similar process is underway on the Upper West Side, where police are trying to understand why a child was targeted. As the investigations continue, both incidents serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address gun violence in our communities.