#Community leaders gather in the Bronx to stand against gun violence

Community leaders denounced the rise in outer-borough violence Saturday at a rally outside a Bronx bodega where a teen was fatally shot earlier in the week.

Speaking outside King Deli and Grocery on Boston Road in Morrisania, Brooklyn Borough President and mayoral hopeful Eric Adams blamed the rash of shootings on the lack of resources in underserved neighborhoods.

“Shooting, after shooting, after shooting” Adams told a crowd of activists.

“Trust me when I tell you, if the victims were not black and brown, you’ll see a different response in this city.

“Map the shootings, the stabbings and the killings, and then map where the lack of resources are,” Adams continued.

“I’m not here for political reasons. I’m here for personal reasons. My son is 24. Every time I hear a young man is shot I’ve got to look through the article and say, ‘Tell me it’s not my baby.’”

James Solano, 16, was standing outside the bodega near East 166th Street when a gunman fired a shot into his neck round 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

The teen was rushed to Lincoln Medical Center where he died. It’s unclear if he and the gunman knew each other. There have been no arrests.

Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson (D-Bronx) said James’ family was too heartbroken over his death to attend the rally.

“This mother, this aunt, older brother, older sister, it’s hard for them,” she said.

“Gun violence is unacceptable. Our young people are dying right in front of our eyes. This is not normal,” Gibson added.

“We need to be outraged. We need to be pissed off. We need to be about action. We have to lift up this family — this family who will never be the same again.

“This Morrisania community, this block of Boston Road, we have too many shootings,” she continued. “Too much violence.”