87-year-old Bronx resident shot in neck by teens, unaware until passerby warned her

On July 31 in the Bronx’s Wakefield area, a trio of armed teens fired a burst of gunshots that struck 87-year-old Elticeal Grant in the neck and an 18-year-old man in the hip. Grant, who was walking near East 224th Street and Barnes Avenue, did not notice the injury until a passerby alerted her to the blood flowing down her neck. Police later apprehended three 16-year-old suspects; two are charged with attempted murder and weapons possession, while the third faces only a weapons charge.

Grant’s family said she had lived in the neighborhood for two decades after moving from Jamaica and had never experienced such violence. A home nurse argued the offenders should be incarcerated despite New York’s Raise the Age law, noting overcrowded juvenile facilities like Horizon and Crossroads. NYPD data show an 18 % rise in shooting victims in the Bronx’s 47th Precinct this year, even as citywide shootings have fallen slightly.