Memorial for Hispanic Girl Killed During Shooting in Longview, The Bronx – NBC New York (47)

NEW YORK – NYPD detectives seek to question two teenagers, one of them as young as 14, in connection with the girl shot to death by a duo on a moped who opened fire on a group of men on a Bronx street corner in broad daylight, multiple law enforcement sources told our sister network News 4 New York.

Kyhara Tay was with members of her family when she was shot in the stomach while on Westchester Avenue in Longwood on Monday night. She died at Lincoln Hospital.

According to the sources, the suspected gunman is believed to be a 14-year-old boy, not much older than the innocent 11-year-old victim, while the moped driver is believed to be 18 years old.

The death of the sixth grade girl has shaken the community.

Police sources say that two people on a moped opened fire on a group of men on a street corner. Tay does not appear to have been the intended target and no one else was injured during the shooting, police said.

“Praying for the medical team. Please bring her healing and strength,” Gibson tweeted shortly after the little girl was admitted to the hospital. “HORRIBLE. Here we go again. More shootings. More innocent people,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.

Community leaders call for justice for 11-year-old girl’s death in Bronx shooting

Family members gathered Tuesday night at a vigil for Kyhara, Kyky as she was known to her loved ones. Her parents were heartbroken as they visited the memorial that she has taken over the street where she was shot. At a vigil, balloons flew through the air as loved ones said their goodbyes.

“I’m sad and I miss her so much and I can’t believe she’s dead. It hurts,” said her friend Kaylany Alvarez, who said she had known Kyhara since preschool. “She would come by sometimes and we were together and I woke up today to find out she was shot. I really miss her and I hope she is doing well in heaven.”

On Wednesday, a crowd also turned out for a rally in the Bronx in memory of the girl and to support her family, saying they are tired of living in fear of violence on the streets and angry that they have not yet found the responsible.

“These kids are doing the Wild West here,” said Longview resident Luis Torres, adding that “this is the worst tragedy I have ever seen in my entire life.”

The 11-year-old girl died after being shot in the Bronx.

SURVEILLANCE VIDEO CAPTURES DETAILS OF SHOOTING

Surveillance video released by police shows a man running near Fox Street, apparently being chased by the two motorcyclists. The man riding in the back opened fire, according to the video. The girl was half a block from where the gun was fired.

The two men on the moped, both wearing dark colored sweatshirts, immediately fled the scene of the shooting and headed north on Fox Street.

“This is very, very difficult for us to accept,” said Deputy Chief Timothy McCormack, commanding officer of the Bronx Detective Bureau.

“This is the second child to be shot in this district this year, first an 11-month-old boy and now an 11-year-old girl. It is worrying that this is happening in our current society. The NYPD knows how to fight crime and we’re doing the best we can. And I think the other part of the criminal justice system needs to step up and take responsibility for what’s going on.”

NYPD CRIME STOPPERS OFFERS REWARD

NYPD Crime Stoppers has distributed photos of the duo on the moped wanted in connection with the death of Kyhara Tay and is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information related to the case.

WAVE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN THE BRONX

Monday’s incident adds to a wave of shootings where several minors and young people have been injured.

An 11-month-old girl was shot in the Bronx on January 19. The baby was struck by a stray bullet in her left cheek while she was sitting in a parked car with her mother. The girl underwent brain surgery the same month.

About three hours before little Tay was shot, two teenagers were struck by bullets on a Brooklyn street. An 18-year-old was injured in the torso and a 19-year-old in the leg.

Last Wednesday, the 17-year-old son of an NYPD officer was shot in the arm outside his Queens high school. The teen was not the intended target, police said.

Last Thursday night in the Bronx, a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy were shot by a pair of men. Both teens were hospitalized in stable condition, authorities said. Two nights before that shooting, a 17-year-old was fatally shot outside a Bronx grocery store.

Earlier this month, an 18-year-old girl was shot in the lobby of a Crown Heights building and died days later. In a separate incident, a 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were shot outside Central Park. Both suffered minor injuries.

At the end of April, a 14-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet in the neck. In addition, two 18-year-olds were also injured. All three teens survived the shooting.

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