In the quiet of a Harlem night, a single gunshot shattered the stillness behind the NYPD’s 28th Precinct stationhouse, claiming the life of a man whose identity remains unreleased. The bullet struck him in the head just before midnight on Sunday, May 18, 2025, on Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 123rd Street. First responders rushed him to St. Luke’s Hospital, but he could not be saved. This tragedy marked one of three fatal shootings across New York City’s boroughs over a violent weekend, leaving communities grieving and police searching for answers. No arrests have been made in any of the incidents, deepening the sense of unease in neighborhoods already weary of gun violence.
Several hours earlier, in the Bronx’s Fordham Heights, a 911 call at 6:45 p.m. drew officers to East 188th Street and Marion Avenue. There, they found 57-year-old Kevin Jennings with a gunshot wound to his head and a 34-year-old woman injured in her left leg. Paramedics transported both to St. Barnabas Hospital, where Jennings was pronounced dead. The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, remains in stable condition. Police have yet to identify a suspect or determine what sparked the violence, leaving residents to grapple with the loss of a neighbor and the uncertainty of an ongoing investigation.
The weekend’s bloodshed began Saturday night in East New York, Brooklyn, where 18-year-old Zanir Childs was gunned down just before 10 p.m. at the intersection of New Jersey and Hegeman avenues, across from P.S. 36. Childs was shot in the torso and later died at Kings County Hospital Center. An 18-year-old woman, struck in her right arm, was treated at Brookdale Hospital and is expected to recover. The NYPD has not released details about a possible motive or suspect, and the community mourns the loss of a young life cut short in a neighborhood striving to overcome its history of violence.
These shootings, while isolated, underscore the persistent challenge of gun violence in New York City, even as police data reflects significant declines in such incidents. In the 28th Precinct, which encompasses Central Harlem, shootings have plummeted by more than 66% through May 11, 2025, compared to the same period last year. Yet, the precinct has not been immune to tragedy. In April, 61-year-old Excenia Mette was killed by a stray bullet while checking on her grandson, becoming the precinct’s first fatal shooting victim of the year. Two 23-year-old men were later arrested in connection with her death, offering a measure of closure to a grieving community.
In the Bronx’s 46th Precinct, which includes Fordham Heights, shootings have decreased by 17% and homicides by a remarkable 90% through May 11. Jennings’ death stands as the precinct’s only fatal shooting this year, a stark contrast to previous years but a painful reminder of the work that remains. Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s 75th Precinct, covering East New York, has seen a 24% drop in shootings, with Childs’ death marking the third fatal shooting in the area this year.
Citywide, the NYPD has reported progress in curbing gun violence, with fewer shootings in the first quarter of 2025 than in any previous quarter since the department began tracking such data. This follows a historic five-day stretch in January without a reported shooting victim, the longest such period in three decades. Yet, the weekend’s violence highlights the fragility of this progress, as communities continue to bear the human cost of each incident.
Investigators are combing through ballistic evidence and witness accounts in hopes of identifying those responsible. In Harlem, shell casings recovered behind the precinct stationhouse offer a starting point, but the motive remains elusive. In the Bronx and Brooklyn, detectives are similarly working to piece together the circumstances that led to the deaths of Jennings and Childs. Community leaders and residents, meanwhile, are calling for renewed efforts to address the root causes of violence, from economic hardship to the proliferation of illegal firearms.
As New York City navigates this latest wave of tragedy, the stories of those lost— a man in Harlem, a father in the Bronx, a teenager in Brooklyn— serve as a somber call to action. The decline in shootings offers hope, but each life lost underscores the urgency of sustaining and expanding efforts to build safer communities. For now, the NYPD’s investigations continue, and the city mourns, determined to honor the fallen by seeking justice and a path toward lasting peace.
