NYPD: Shooting that killed 14-year-old Jacob Borbin in the Bronx was likely accidental
NEW YORK -- The NYPD says the deadly shooting of 14-year-old Jacob Borbin in the Bronx may have been accidental after surveillance video showed the teen running from an apartment building with a gunshot wound early Thursday morning.
According to the NYPD, Borbin was hanging with friends after midnight inside 237 East 194th Street in Fordham Manor. Someone had a gun, it fired, and Borbin was shot in the chest.
It's unclear who was handling the gun, but police said the shooting was likely unintentional, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.
Borbin's family lives on a quiet, treelined street in Allerton - just two miles from the shooting scene. Relatives said he was a good kid who loved to play hoops at a park nearby.
Neighbors were also heartbroken.
"I think it's terrible that a 14-year-old has to lose his life like that," said Mario Arroyo.
"It's sad. He's 14. He didn't even live his life," another neighbor said.
NYPD officers were literally steps away from the shooting scene and were on site within 20 seconds. First responders rushed Borbin to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police hung posters asking for tips from the community.
"The guns is rampant right about now on these streets. It's just sad. Something has to be done," one person said.
On Twitter, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell called the shooting "tragic" and asked people to come forward with details.
Robyn Smith lives in the area. She lost her son to gun violence when he was 20.
"He didn't get a chance to live," Smith said.
Smith sympathizes with Borbin's family.
"I can imagine what the parents are going through right now. It's very painful," Smith said. "These kids aren't even living today. It's like as soon as they touch the pavement, they lose their life."
Residents said it's upsetting that guns are easy to obtain, and that some are willing to provide them to young people.
"It's never gonna stop. They go out of state, they bring the guns back. Everybody wants to sit back, be quiet. Nobody wants to say nothing, but we have children! We have to at least fight for the kids," said Cleopatra Taque.
Darrell Bennett, CEO of a Bronx-based youth mentorship program, said shootings like this could likely be prevented if more resources are made available to youth in underserved communities, CBS2's John Dias reported.
"It's not an achievement gap, it's an opportunity gap. We need more money being poured into these communities to help people to be doing other things. We have too many young people on the streets. There's no community centers here. We've been talking to city councilmen about that," said Bennett.
According to the NYPD, someone removed the gun from the scene. So far, police have not made any arrests.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
