Family Of Slain Brooklyn Teen Presses For Stronger Gun Control Laws
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A funeral was held Sunday for a teenage boy who was shot dead in Crown Heights, Brooklyn last week, and his family members and community leaders demanded that there be stricter anti-gun laws in place.
Darius Robinson, 17, was shot once in the torso early Tuesday morning on Saint Marks Avenue.
Sources said the shooter rode up to a barbecue in a black SUV and opened fire into the gathered crowd, and that Robinson was not the intended target.
Robinson was taken to Interfaith Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
On Sunday, family members and friends gathered at the boy's funeral in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The teen, according to his father Fred Robinson, was a boy with big ideas who wanted to become a principal, teacher or a doctor when he grew up.
"I can't eat, I can't sleep. This pain is undescribable. What happened, only God can help me with this," said Fred Robinson. "I'm in pain and I believe that there'll be a better day. We've got to get these guys off the street."
Community advocate Tony Herbert and members of the group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement are asking elected officials to pass stricter gun laws so that those convicted of a crime involving a gun serve at least 10 years in prison.
They also want more money for community centers and after-school programs.
Herbert said he will present these ideas to the mayor and police commissioner within the next few days.
By Sunday evening, no arrests had been made in connection with Robinson's death. Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.