BB gun shooting of father, son wearing yarmulkes on Staten Island investigated as possible hate crime
NEW YORK -- Hate crimes are on the rise in the city and new NYPD data shows a lot of them are antisemitic.
As CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reported Monday, this comes as police continue to search for suspects accused of targeting a Jewish father and son on Staten Island.
The NYPD and Staten Island Shomrim Safety Patrol remained outside Island Kosher supermarket a day after a father and son were shot by a BB gun there.
READ MORE: Police: Father, son wearing yarmulkes shot with BB gun on Staten Island
The pair are seen on video wearing yarmulkes at the time they were struck in the drive-by attack. The 7-year-old boy is also seen reacting after being grazed on the ear.
"It's shocking because it's a very safe neighborhood," resident Joel Zupnick said.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is looking for two suspects, including the driver of a black Ford Mustang with a covered license plate, who drove off on Victory Boulevard.
"I've never heard such a thing happening here right in this area. That's not something that we hear," said a resident of Meiers Corners.
This comes as hate crimes are up citywide. New numbers from the police show antisemitic hate crimes more than doubled in November compared to the same time last year.
Anti-Black hate crimes and those based on gender and sexual orientation were also up.
"Hate leads to hate. There's a lot of hate that's being espoused in media, by celebrities, by influencers, and it has an impact. It has an effect on society," said Scott Richman, New York and New Jersey regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.
Richman has condemned recent rhetoric and social media posts from celebrities like Kanye West and Kyrie Irving.
This also comes on the heels of threats toward local synagogues. Richman said, together, we need to condemn hate, report it, and better educate.
"Antisemitism is a virus. It's a virus that infects society and a society that can tolerate hatred against Jews can tolerate hatred against other minorities," Richman said.
As for the BB gun shooting incident, Staten Island Shomrim said the Jewish community is very disturbed, telling CBS2 the little boy is traumatized. However, both he and his father are physically doing okay.
Anyone with any 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.
