Twenty year-old Mount Vernon resident Aliyah Waiters was shot killed on Sept. 25 after being struck in the head by a bullet. The shooting happened on South Third Avenue in Mt. Vernon at 2:30 a.m. Waiters was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx and put on life support before she was pronounced dead.
No arrests have been made as Mt. Vernon Police continue their investigation. Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard releassed a statement mourning Waiters’ death, and adding that she heard the gunshots in the middle of Saturday near her home.
U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, New York State Senators Jamaal T. Bailey and Alessandra Biaggi, Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow, Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, Mount Vernon City Council President Marcus Griffith, Mount Vernon City Councilman Derrick Thompson, and Mount Vernon City Councilwoman Janice Duarte, and Pastor Darren M. Morton issued the following statement over the weekend:
“We were devastated and heartbroken to learn that a 20-year-old woman was shot in the head in Mount Vernon early Saturday morning at approximately 2:30 a.m. Our offices will continue to work with the mayor, and other elected officials to end incidents of gun violence in Mount Vernon. Every life is sacred and It is going to take all of us to get this done. Every elected official, every member of the clergy, every educator, community member, health care provider and resident, must work together to stop the violence in Mount Vernon and beyond. There is so much good work already happening in Mount Vernon, and that needs to be recognized, uplifted and multiplied. Every life is precious and every life is worth saving. Let us work together to save lives.
“If you have any information regarding this incident or the potential of future incidents of violence, please text confidentially to 914-314-5091. This is a non-police confidential private line. We aim to stop violent incidents before they occur and create nurturing environments where every person in Mount Vernon can thrive.”