Top police brass announced on July 3 that they have identified two people of interest believed to be responsible for the shocking shooting that left a five-year-old girl injured after a weekend of deadly violence.
Acting Police Commissioner Edward Caban stood in police headquarters on Monday afternoon and charged that he believes the NYPD knows who is responsible for shooting the girl in the back of her family car at White Plains Road and East 213rd Street at around 7 p.m. on July 1. Caban stated the department is actively searching for 25-year-old Austin Morrishow and 26-year-old Curtis White, both from the Bronx.
“Yesterday, I visited that little girl to see what she and her family were going through. It was not only heartbreaking, it’s infuriating. As a parent, it made me angry. That should make every single one of us angry,” Caban said. “We made a promise to her and to her family. We promise that we will never rest until her shooter is found and held accountable.”
Caban shared that the two men being sought are no stranger to the criminal justice system, stating that repeat offenders coupled with illegal guns are a dangerous and deadly combination. Suspects White and Morrishow apparently shot at a passing car on Saturday during a community vigil for a man who had been shot to death in the same location one day prior. The vehicle had apparently backfired, causing the gunmen to mistake it for gunfire.
White is apparently a convicted felon who was booked on an attempted murder charge in 2015 for allegedly shooting another individual. He was also cuffed in Atlanta, Georgia for possessing and transporting a firearm after the 2015 conviction. Morrishow is apparently an alleged gang member who is also wanted for a robbery pattern in the borough and is also on federal probation until 2025 for the possession of a firearm.
“Princess,” Caban said, addressing the young shooting victim. “48 hours later we have two individuals identified in the shooting.”
Caban’s first weekend as top cop has not come easy. In addition to the wounded five-year-old, a 15-year-old boy was found face down with several gunshot wounds at 145th Street and Riverside Drive inside Riverbank State Park. Police saw the suspect, Anibal Cruz, 36, involved in this incident attempt to dispose of a gun.
A 12-year-old girl was also one of one of four victims who was shot at about 9:45 p.m. on July 2 in front of an apartment building at 1780 Eastburn Ave. in Mount Hope.
Despite the ensuing bullet storm, NYPD executives say they confiscated more than 10,500 illegal guns in the past 18 months in an attempt to dam the flood of bullets. However, those same executives also report that the age of trigger pullers have drastically decreased since 2020. According to Chief of Crime Control Strategies, Michael Lipetri, the department has never seen so many gunmen under the age of 18.
“Eleven percent of all gun arrests this year are under the age of 18. When you’re under 18 and get arrested with a gun, a quarter of that population is involved in the shooting incident within two years,” Lipetri said, adding that 8 out of ten people arrested for gun violence are already back on the street.
Firearms, including 3D printed ghost guns, have become so prevalent on the streets of the Big Apple that the over 10,000 guns recovered in the past 18 months have become the highest number of illegal guns seen over that time period in a generation. In addition, he reports that in 2022 the NYPD has made the most gun arrests in 27 years.
“When a child is shot while riding in a car or playing in a park, we understand the perception or fear that creates and we understand the reality. These are real guns in the hands of real bad people that are harming real children,” Caban said, imploring New Yorkers to call crime stoppers if they see the suspects depicted.
