15-year-old arrested in Yonkers shooting that hurt 9-year-old

• Police arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with Friday%27s shooting on Palisade Avenue.
• A 14-year-old boy has been charged in a stabbing that injured two.

YONKERS – A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with Friday's shooting on Palisade Avenue that injured a 9-year-old girl and two others.

The shooting prompted a pledge from Mayor Mike Spano on Saturday to crack down on crime in the area.

Police said they were not naming the shooting suspect, who is from the city, because of his age. They said he was charged with first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

He was arrested about 11 p.m. Sunday by members of the Detective Division and Youth Crimes Unit.

The 9-year-old girl and another woman were inside Pizza D'Ora at 49 Palisade Ave. when they were wounded by gunfire. Initially, police believed the girl had been shot in the chest but later said no bullet was found lodged in her.

The woman was treated for a bullet graze and released. The third person, a man, was shot in the leg while out on the street. None of those hit were believed to have been the intended victims and all of them are expected to recover, police said.

The area where the three were injured — Palisade Avenue and Elm Street – is notorious for drug and gang activity. Spano said police, code enforcement officers and others would descend on the neighborhood.

"For us to have a bunch of punks — because that's the only word I can come up with — to just come down the street here in broad daylight and start shooting into a pizzeria as people are sitting there with their families, and especially with a 9-year-old just eating pizza is — it's just outrageous," Spano said at a news conference. "And while

this is considered a hot spot

it's going to be known from this day forward as a hot spot for another reason. It's going to be known as a hot spot for law enforcement."

Police said the investigation into the shooting continues and anyone with information can contact the Detective Division at 914-377-7724. Anonymous tips can also be sent to police by texting the key word "YPD" plus the tip to 847411.

A day after the mayor's pronouncement, two men were stabbed with a knife early Sunday morning on Elm Street. A 14-year-old city boy has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree assault in that incident, which happened about five blocks from the shooting scene.

Detective Lt. Patrick McCormack, the department spokesman, said police responding to 911 calls found two victims, ages 19 and 48, suffering from cuts to their torsos and faces. Both were taken to a hospital for treatment. He said the stabbing resulted from three to four people who had been involved in an earlier dispute.

He said while nearby, the stabbing happened in a different patrol precinct than the shooting.

The violence allegedly committed by teenagers over the past week has left some suggesting the community needs to try a different approach to connect with younger residents to prevent future bloodshed.

Annette Arthur, a city activist whose son was shot and killed last year, said youth programming aimed at curbing violence isn't working.

"We need to let them know this is unacceptable," Arthur said. "We also need to do some footwork and find out why they're doing what they're doing. What is the priority for the grown-ups to try and help them?"

Twitter: @gshilly