
Eric Adams blames ‘gun oversaturation’ after 20-year-old mother was shot dead
Asia Johnson, the young mother who was shot and killed while pushing her three-month-old baby in a stroller in New York City, filed multiple domestic violence complaints with the police before her execution style murder.
Johnson’s grieving mother has accused police of failing to protect her 20-year-old daughter from an abusive ex-boyfriend, as investigators are now searching for the child’s father as someone interested in her murder.
Johnson, an aspiring nurse and mother of two, was walking with her infant near 95th Street and Lexington Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side at about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police said a masked gunman approached from behind and shot her in the head at close range, killing her. The child was unharmed.
The victim’s family reportedly told investigators that Ms Johnson was planning to meet the child’s father that night.
The New York Police Department declined to confirm that the child’s father was the person of concern, but said investigators are exploring domestic violence as a possible motive.
The shooting took place in one of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods a few blocks from the stadium, just days after the Supreme Court relaxed US gun laws.
New York lawmakers hold emergency meeting on gun laws
New York lawmakers are holding an emergency meeting on state gun laws after the US Supreme Court relaxed restrictions on firearms across the country at a time of rising gun violence and mass shootings.
The meeting, which took place on Thursday afternoon, was called so that the state could comply with the ruling by the nation’s highest court while keeping gun control procedures in place.
New York Governor Cathy Hochhol said Wednesday — hours before the shooting of Azia Johnson — that guns will be banned from private businesses unless owners specifically post a sign that says, “Welcome to hidden guns here.”
Hospitals, day care centers, parks, zoos, playgrounds and public transportation are also expected to be classified as sensitive places where occult carrying is prohibited.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that a state’s gun law requiring people to have a “appropriate cause” to carry firearms in public is unconstitutional.
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 22:30
Surveillance footage shows the rhythm of the gunman moments before the shooting
Surveillance footage captured the gunman walking around the area just moments before the 20-year-old victim was shot and killed.
Police sources said NBC News Found in and around the crime scene, this video shows the suspect walking past a residence before carrying out the execution-style attack.
Asia Johnson was also captured in a video pushing the stroller with her baby inside.
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 22:00
Victim’s mother urges killer to ‘turn yourself in’
The mother of 20-year-old Azia Johnson has urged her daughter’s killer to “turn yourself in” as her two young children are now left without their mother.
Lisa Dessort sent a letter to the gunman who shot her daughter, urging him to seek advice.
“I have treated you like a son. I have welcomed you into my home. I have talked to you and comforted you when you were upset. I have fed you. A child who has no and will not have a father or a mother” NBC News.
“Turn yourself in. That’s what we said to you — turn yourself in. Go to counseling. You shouldn’t have hurt my daughter. We could have been family.”
Ms Dessort said the father of her three-month-old daughter’s baby is wanted for questioning by police after he allegedly assaulted and threatened Johnson while she was pregnant.
The NYPD did not name the suspect but identified the person of interest. The police have not released the identity of the person in question.
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 21:30
Asia Johnson has filed at least two complaints of domestic violence
Asia Johnson had filed at least two complaints of domestic violence in the two years before she was shot dead in Manhattan on Wednesday night.
A law enforcement official said daily monster That the 20-year-old had filed complaints against more than one man.
The men’s identities have not been released and it is not clear how the authorities have responded.
New York police said the killing of the 20-year-old mother is under investigation as a possible domestic accident, while Johnson’s family said the father of their three-month-old is a person of concern being sought for questioning.
Johnson’s mother, Lisa Dessort, said the boy’s father assaulted her daughter when she was pregnant and that she and her daughter reported it to the police.
She said the authorities failed to protect her daughter.
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 21:00
Data Shows Sharp Rise in Crimes in NYC, But Down Shooting
The latest data from the NYPD shows that crime has risen in New York City in the past year but the number of shootings has actually fallen.
A total of 58,417 crimes were reported across the five boroughs in the year ending June 26, 2022 – an increase of 37.8 percent from 42,383 crimes reported in the same period in 2021.
However, the number of shootings decreased by 12.1 percent, from 710 to 624 in the same time frame.
The number of shooting victims also fell by 8.6 percent last year, from 817 in 2021 to 747 in 2022.
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 20:40
Mayor Eric Adams announces a new unit to address gun violence
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the launch of a new gun violence unit Thursday — just hours after the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Azia Johnson.
The Nuclear Weapon Crimes Unit will speed up the firearms crime analysis process, with forensic experts able to deliver DNA results in half the current 60-day time.
A staggering $2.5 million is going to the new unit, which will be overseen by the New York City office of the medical examiner.
At a press conference announcing the unit’s launch, the mayor said it would play a “key role” in tackling gun violence in the city.
“This is an essential part of our apparatus in combating gun violence and at times we have missed this piece but without this piece we cannot disarm our streets and deal with people who are dangerous to our city,” he said.
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 20:20
The map shows the shooting near the children’s playground
The shooting took place just steps away from a playground where children were playing.
Azia Johnson was shot dead near 95th Street and Lexington Street on the Upper East Side at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Samuel Seabury Park Stadium is located at the same intersection.
Here is the scene map:
Map of the Upper East Side shooting scene
(Google Maps)
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 20:00
I planned a vigil Thursday night in honor of Azia Johnson
A candlelight vigil is planned for Thursday night in honor of Azia Johnson.
The vigil will be held on East 95th Street between Lexington and Third Avenue, near the site of the horrific shooting Wednesday night.
It is set to begin at 8:30 p.m., the same time the 20-year-old victim was shot dead while pushing her child in a stroller through the area.
New York City Council member Julie Minin, whose district covers the Upper East Side where Ms. Johnson was shot dead, welcomed community members to come to the vigil in a Twitter post.
“Please join us tonight for a candlelight vigil at 8:30pm on East 95th Street between Lexington and Third Avenue as our community mourns the tragic shooting of a young mother,” she wrote on Twitter.
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 19:40
The victim is remembered as an aspiring nurse and a “better” mother of two
An aspiring nurse and mother of two has been identified as the woman who was shot at point blank range while pushing her child in a stroller across the Upper East Side.
Azia Johnson, 20, died Wednesday night after she was said to have planned to meet the father of her three-month-old baby.
Johnson’s mother, Lisa Dessort, said her daughter had been a victim of domestic violence by her child’s father and that the family had made multiple reports to the police – but the authorities had failed to protect her.
Mrs. Desort . said Fox News that she was the “best mother” to her two children – three months and two years old – and dreamed of becoming a pediatric nurse,
She’s been working since she was 16, and she’s been taking care of people. “She was the best mother,” she said. “My daughter didn’t deserve this.”
independentRachel Sharp has the full story:
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 19:20
Children in a nearby playground witnessed shooting
The children witnessed the horrific shooting while enjoying a summer evening in a nearby playground.
The shooting took place at approximately 8.23 p.m. Wednesday near Lexington Avenue and 95th Street, just steps from Samuel Seaprey Stadium.
I told a 10-year-old girl who was there with her brother and aunt DailyMail.com She heard a loud “bang” and saw a woman fall.
At first, I thought it might be fireworks before realizing it was a gunshot.
“I was so confused, because I thought these might have been fireworks. But then I realized no, this is dangerous and it was a bullet.”
“And that really scared me because I was out there in the garden playing and I would have never thought that would happen.
“I saw a lot of people running, I saw a woman there, and she fell.”
“I was worried but then I wanted to stay calm, because I didn’t want any interaction, I didn’t want anything else to happen,” she added.
Rachel SharpJune 30, 2022 19:00