A woman and her pitbull were shot dead at a store Sunday night in what appears to be the second murder of the new year after a 2021 that s...
A woman and her pitbull were shot dead at a store Sunday night in what appears to be the second murder of the new year after a 2021 that saw the highest number of homicides in a decade.
Jennifer Ynoa, 36, stood in front of the counter at Salim Smoke Shop and & Lottery Corp on Dekalb Avenue in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn shortly before 10pm Sunday.
Surveillance footage shows her holding a leash as a man approaches the door and points a gun at her from outside of the store.
She was pronounced dead at Brooklyn Hospital and her dog also died, according to the New York Police Department.
It has been reported that she was caught in the middle as the gunman opened fire on someone inside the store, but a NYPD spokesman told DailyMail.com that it's unclear whether she knew the gunman or if he was aiming at someone else.
The killing comes as New York City reported 481 murders through December 30, up from 468 in 2021 and the highest since 2011's 515 murders.
Jennifer Ynoa, 36, was pronounced dead at Brooklyn Hospital after she was shot dead at a Brooklyn smoke shop Sunday night
Ynoa held her dog on a leash in front of the counter at Salim Smoke Shop and & Lottery Corp in Bed-Stuy shortly before 10pm Sunday
Police say her pitbull, above, also died at the scene and was covered with a trash bag as officers investigated
Adams as he tries to rehabilitate the city's image following a crime-ridden year under previous mayor Bill de Blasio.
As of Thursday, the city has recorded 481 murders which has been fueled by an increase in gun crime, according to city data.
The last time the city hit over 500 murders was in 2011, under then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, when homicides ended up totaling 515.
The rest of the decade had seen a sharp decrease in murders, going down to 419 in 2012 and heading as low as 292 in 2017 under de Blasio.
No arrests have been made in the Sunday night murder of Ynoa. Police are still investigating whether she knew the gunman or if he was even aiming at her.
She reportedly left a trail of blood as she left the store.
Her dog died on the sidewalk. Police covered its body with a trash bag as they investigated.
Ynoa's Twitter states that she lives in the neighborhood where she died.
Ynoa's Twitter states that she lives in the neighborhood where she died
A man approached the door and points a gun at Ynoa from outside of the store. No arrests have been made in her death yet
Murders have gone up in New York City each of the last three years, with numbers hitting a 10-year high in 2021
Crime overall went up 6.13 percent in New York City from 2020 through December 26, with felony assaults up nearly 10 percent
Eric Adams, whose term began on New Year's Day, faces the task of rehabilitating the city's image after a crime-ridden year under former mayor Bill de Blasio
Sunday night's incident appears to be the second murder of the new year, after an unidentified woman was found lying on the sidewalk in Astoria, Queens just before 9pm on Saturday.
She had been stabbed multiple times and later died at Astoria General Hospital.
No witnesses or suspects have been identified in the killing.
Between November 28 and December 26, homicides were double what they were in the same period in 2020, with 41 murders compared to 24 in 2020.
Overall, crime has risen 6.13 percent in New York City over 2020 through December 26.
A woman was found stabbed to death near a diner in Queens on New Year's Day, making it the first known murder of 2022
The biggest rise came in felony assaults like the ones previously mentioned, which rose 9.6 percent from 2020.
Murders (4.1 percent), shooting victims (0.6 percent), rapes (3.3 percent), and robberies (4.7 percent) also rose in 2021.
On New Years' Day, an off-duty cop was shot in the head while he was taking a nap in his car between shifts in East Harlem.
The officer, who has only been identified by the name Keith, was finishing a late shift in the area when he decided to take a nap in the police parking lot outside the 25th precinct to rest before his next in the early morning.
He then woke up at around 6.15am when he noticed the window of his vehicle was shattered and blood dripping profusely from his head.
A sergeant from the precinct assisted the officer to the New York Presbyterian Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.
The wounded officer had the bullet fragments removed from his head and was found to have suffered a fractured skull. He is expected to make a full recovery.
A NYPD officer woke up on Saturday morning to discover he received a bullet to the head while he was sleeping in his car between shifts in East Harlem
The bullet, which has since been recovered, was shot through the officer's window
Adams spoke about the incident outside of the hospital as he is determined to end gun violence on the streets of NYC during his term.
'We must not only find a gun but we must also find the person who discharged the weapon and we must find those who believe they will destroy our city with gun and gang violence,' Adams said at the conference. 'That is not going to happen.'
The new NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell joined Adams at the hospital who also promised to resolve gun violence issues that have been plaguing the city.
'We are extremely grateful that our officer is recovering as we know this could have been a very tragic outcome,' Sewell said.
'I also do believe this incident underscores that there are far too many guns out there in the wrong hands.'
Keechant Sewell, 49, is the new NYPD commissioner after being chosen by incoming Mayor Eric Adams
At the conference, Sewell also showed spectators where the bullet had hit the vehicle and noted that other officers in the area did not hear the gunshot at the time.
She also noted that NYPD officers were working long hour shifts due to staffing problems related to the pandemic.
A motive for the shooting has not been released yet as it remains unclear if the officer had been target.
Patrick Lynch, the President of the Police Benevolent Association, also spoke out on the current hazards facing NYPD officers as it shows the severity of problems facing the city.
'He was in a police parking lot and was still shot,' he said. 'It shows us the dangers police officers face always.'
The investigation of the shooting remains underway as police are offering a $10,000 to those with more information.
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