New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sparked a wave of backlash when he responded to the shooting death of seven-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore, blaming her death on gun violence rather than the criminal who opened fire in his city in broad daylight.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier today a seven-month-old baby was shot and killed,\u201d he said. \u201cA life that had barely begun was taken in an instant.\u201d<\/p>\n
WATCH:<\/strong><\/p>\n New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the fatal shooting of a baby in Brooklyn by a stray bullet a \u201cdevastating reminder\u201d of the work that remains to be done to combat gun violence. https:\/\/t.co\/fCUKHY42Hj<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/S6aePIpg6K<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ABC News (@ABC) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThis is not our first family to know this pain,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cToo many children have never grown up into becoming adults. Too many parents have had to bury those they love most. We cannot accept this as normal in our city. We cannot grow numb to this pain, and today is a devastating reminder of just how much more work there is to be done to combat gun violence across the city.\u201d<\/p>\n New York City Councilwoman Vicki Paladino criticized Mamdani for laying the blame on guns rather than the criminals who fired them, saying in an X post<\/a>, \u201cLiterally anything but blaming the criminals who our system releases onto our streets repeatedly, over and over again, with no consequences. Absolute disgrace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n