12-year-old fatally shot in New York City as violent crime spikes nationwide

A 12-year-old boy was killed when he and his family were caught in the crossfire between two other cars on Thursday night in Brooklyn.

“To have a young boy shot, and when you look at the video, it’s horrific how it happened,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. “We’re piecing together the pieces and we’re going to find the individuals.”

The shooting is among the latest as violence spikes in New York City. Crime in the city is up nearly 45% from last year, according to the New York City Police Department.

The surge in gun violence prompted Adams to relaunch a controversial NYPD task force last month to remove illegal guns from the streets as well as put more officers on patrol.

Nationally, homicide rates have risen by an average of 37% in the biggest cities.

In Chicago, violent crime is up 36% compared with the same time last year, according to the Chicago Police Department. Los Angeles has seen an increase of 6% for the same time period, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

On Friday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland theorized why juveniles appear to be committing more crimes.

“The leaders of the gangs don’t want to face punishment, so they try to use a cutout,” he said.

As violent crime increases, the past few days have been deadly for law enforcement, including Lebanon, Pennsylvania Police Lt. William Lebo, who was killed Thursday while responding to a domestic disturbance call. He was just one month away from retirement.