Isayah Muller, a 19-year-old Jefferson Houses resident, was killed on Tuesday just hours after his graduation (Photo by Matt Ehalt - ESPNNewYork.com)
I am deeply saddened and distressed by the killing of yet another young person from El Barrio/East Harlem. In the past three weeks alone, three teenagers from our community have been killed due to senseless and endemic violence in our city.
A young woman, Tysha Jones, gunned down enjoying a day at the beach; a young man, Juan Ortero, shot while walking to a local deli; and now another talented and promising young man, Isayah Muller, stabbed to death on the day of his high school graduation. As we head into the summer, we are seeing far too many lives being cut short due to violence and few communities have felt the impact of these killings more than El Barrio/East Harlem. Though two of these three incidents did not occur in our community, it is no secret that we have also experienced a serious increase in shootings and other forms of violence here in our neighborood, particularly among our youth. We must all continue to come together and reaffirm that this violence must be stopped.
On behalf of my entire community, I send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of these three young victims and all youth who have been tragically and prematurely taken from us due to violence.
