NYC mayoral candidates weigh in on how they would address gun violence in the Bronx

New York City's mayoral candidates weighed in Saturday on the string of shootings in the Bronx over the past week.

One of the most recent incidents happened Friday night and left three people injured.

No arrests in Bronx shooting that left 3 injured

There was a heavy police response at around 9 p.m. Friday on Marion Street near East Fordham Road in the Fordham section.

Police say a 17-year-old boy was shot in the thigh and ankle, a 20-year-old man was struck in the right knee, and a 28-year-old man was grazed in the head. All are expected to be OK.

"I was scared," witness Clive Brown said. "I heard, like, 14 shots fired."

"It was like fireworks," Maya Deli manager Alex Ali said.

Ali closed his deli earlier than usual after hearing gunfire from across the street.

Police say at this time, there have been no arrests and they are still investigating what led up to the shooting.

This is at least the seventh shooting in the Bronx since last Saturday. The gun violence has left at least four dead and 11 injured.  

Mayoral candidates call for more NYPD officers

Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams said the New York City Police Department would expand hours for so-called summer violence zones and step up patrols at parks.

"Go after the hotspots and go after the areas [with] what we call precision policing," he said. 

He also announced 1,000 additional officers would be deployed to the borough.

"The mayor really needs to be transparent and be honest. Where are you getting these cops? Which neighborhoods are now gonna have to sacrifice their cops?" Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa said Saturday.

As he visited the scene of Friday night's shooting, he added, "For me, it brings back a lot of emotions because the area got much better, and now it's in a steep decline."

Sliwa believes what's needed is thousands of more NYPD officers citywide.

"The gang violence is now back on those streets, the very streets that Eric Adams said are safe and secure, that Andy 'No Cash Bail' Cuomo is responsible for turning those gang bangers loose, and Zohran Mamdani would close the jails and wouldn't prosecute any criminals," Sliwa said.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo weighed in on the recent spate of gun violence in the borough at another mayoral campaign event.

"Fundamentally, you need more police presence," Cuomo said. "We cut $1 billion from the police department and it was a mistake. And the police department is too small."

Cuomo said he's called for the hiring of 5,000 additional police officers, with 1,500 to be deployed into the city's subway system and the rest throughout the city.

Some Bronx residents say they do want to see more cops and fewer guns.

"More policing, more cops. Things happen and it takes forever for a cop to come ... It's like we don't count," resident Carla Bryant said. "I think the answer is to get the guns off the street."

Mayoral candidates on alternative ways to address crime

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, meanwhile, believes more needs to be done at the federal level to reduce the influx of guns into New York. He advocates for alternative means to more police officers.

"That's why I've been speaking so much about the crisis management system. Because these are proven methods to help reduce the number of shootings in our city, and yet we continue to underfund them," he said.

The mayor has said he wants to invite gang members to Gracie Mansion where they can sit down and talk.

"The mayor's lost his mind. He wants to conduct a gang summit in the people's house," Sliwa said.

Cuomo said what they really need is violence interrupters.

"People who are working with the community and they can tell when there's going to be a possible gang problem, and they can then intervene," he said.

Earlier this month, President Trump threatened to send the National Guard to New York City to help fight crime – a plan Mamdani is pushing back on.

"We don't need Washington, D.C.'s help in addressing these questions of New York City. What we need is them to stop hurting this city," Mamdani said.