Public safety incident

Residents and business owners in the Bronx's 44th Precinct say a stronger police presence has made the area safer in recent years, but a string of shootings last week has renewed concerns about gun violence.
One of those incidents happened Sunday evening near East 157th Street and Gerard Avenue, when witnesses said a group of young men exchanged gunfire, sending bullets through the neighborhood. A round struck a local deli, narrowly missing owner Mohammed Saleh.
Saleh said he was behind the counter serving a customer when the shooting erupted.
According to Saleh, a bullet pierced a candy shelf inside the store and a shell casing remained lodged in a wall about two feet from where he had been standing.
He said he avoids getting involved when violence breaks out.
"I don't go outside. No matter what happened I don't go outside... stay inside," Saleh said. "Don't touch, don't talk, don't see. Stay away from all the things."
Witnesses said the gunfire was exchanged at the corner of East 157th Street and Gerard Avenue. Some bullets traveled into the deli, while others struck a group of older men playing dominos nearby. Police said a 65-year-old man was shot in the right leg and a 70-year-old man was shot in the right hand. Both are expected to survive.
The two men were among eight people struck by gunfire in four separate shootings last week within the 44th Precinct.
Police also reported that last Monday three people were shot on University Avenue, including a 43-year-old man who died after being shot in the head.
According to NYPD crime stats, 32 shooting victims have been injured so far this year in the precinct, compared with 26 at the same time last year, an increase of roughly 23%.
Despite the recent violence in the Bronx, police officials said citywide shooting incidents and shooting victims have fallen to record lows so far this year.
In a statement, an NYPD spokesperson said year-to-date shooting incidents decreased by almost 10% and shooting victims declined by nearly 12%. For August, the spokesperson said shooting incidents fell by nearly 21% and shooting victims dropped by almost 38%.
Saleh said conditions in the neighborhood have improved significantly compared with several years ago, which he credits to a regular police presence.
The NYPD said detectives have made 25 gang-related takedowns this year and seized more than 3,600 illegal guns. Police said no arrests have been made in connection with the four shootings that occurred in the precinct last week.