Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday he will deploy 1,000 cops to patrol the Bronx this weekend after a surge of shootings – and plans to invite gang members to Gracie Mansion in a bid to settle their beef.
“We have 1,000 more officers that are going to be deployed in the Bronx to assist with Chief [Benjamin] Gurley and assisting other personnel,” Adams said as he addressed the community members at Haffen Park, where a deadly shootout erupted Saturday night.
“We’ve actually looked all over the city… we’ve gotten officers from behind the desk to be out this weekend and we want to make sure we have the right deployment to deal with this violence.”
Mayor Adams said the swarm of officers will patrol violent hotspots throughout the Bronx. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York PostThe move comes nearly a week after a gang-related gun battle near the Bronx park killed a 32-year-old man, injured three others, and left a teenage girl fighting for her life after she was blasted in the face by a stray bullet.
Two teens – ages 16 and 17 – were hit with multiple charges, including murder, attempted murder, gang assault, and weapons possession for the firefight, which broke out during a basketball tournament.
Daeven Reyes, 20, and Robert Royal, 25, also face murder, attempted murder, and weapons charges, with Reyes slapped with an additional gang assault charge, police said.
“When bullets fly because of gang disputes, it doesn’t stop and pause and say this isn’t a rival gang member,” said Adams, flanked by community advocate, police, and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
Multiple firearms were recovered at the bloody crime scene after Saturday’s gang-related shootout. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post“There’s so much that we want to do and we know it’s not just policing, it is about preventing and reacting.”
The mayor said the swarm of cops will patrol the borough’s violent “hotspots.”
His plan also calls for peace talks with gang members and professional mediators at the mayor’s mansion in the days ahead – and those who don’t show will “deal with the consequences.”
The shooting left one dead, three injured, and a teen fighting for her life after she was struck in the face by a stray bullet. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post“We’re going to reach out to the notable gang members, the shooters, the trigger pullers, and see if we can sit down around the table to talk about how do we end this violence,” Hizzoner explained.
“We want to get them behind the scenes and talk this violence to a conclusion, we can’t keep doing this.”
The sister of 17-year-old Anthonaya Campbell, the innocent bystander who was critically injured by the stray slug to the head, was also present at the well-attended press conference.
17-year-old Anthonaya Campbell was an innocent bystander who was blasted by the stray slug. Courtesy of the Talbot FamilyThe worried sibling told Adams in private she didn’t understand why cops can crack down on double parking but not on masked hoodlums at the park.
“That doesn’t make no sense,” she pressed.
The notorious 47th Precinct has seen a 50% surge in shootings so far this year, according to NYPD statistics — just as Adams trumpeted a dramatic dip in gunplay across the five boroughs.
Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York PostThere have been 21 shootings in the precinct, which encompasses areas including Baychester, Williamsbridge and Woodlawn, through Aug. 17, the data showed.
Saturday night’s melee isn’t included in those statistics.






