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15 year-old fatally shot in Brooklyn
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jul 18, 2023
Modified Jul 18, 2023
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Courtesy of Firdavs Mavlonov
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jul 18, 2023
Modified Jul 18, 2023
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A 15-year-old Brooklyn boy died on Tuesday morning after he was shot in the back on Monday afternoon, according to police.
Foridun Mavlonov was walking from school on 20th Avenue in Bensonhurst around 1 p.m. when a suspect approached and opened fire, police said.
The teen was transported to Maimonides Medical Center in critical condition and pronounced dead on Tuesday morning.
Police are not yet sure what motivated the shooting, and have made no arrests.
Family and friends gathered in mourning on Tuesday at the building on West 11th Street, located about a mile from the scene, where Mavlonov had lived with his parents and five younger siblings. His father owned a barbershop around the corner, friends said.
Azat Jorayev, a cousin, remembered the teen as a quiet, hardworking boy who was born in Uzbekistan and came to New York 10 years ago.
“Our family is extremely shocked,” he said in Russian. “Today we lost our dearest boy and all we want is for all the kids be okay and safe in situations like these.”
He said the family has no idea who the perpetrator could be.
“He didn’t have any enemies," said Jorayev. "He always stayed out of trouble, never got involved in any fights. He was always such a calm boy.”
Friends who came by to express their condolences said Mavlonov was a ninth grader at James Madison High School in Midwood. He was laser-focused on pursuing his passion: martial arts.
“He wanted to join in the UFC league,” recalled one 15-year-old friend who didn’t want to give his name because of his age. “He wanted that badly, like he would talk about it often.”
The friend said the shooting had left him and other peers rattled in what is usually a safe neighborhood.
“This doesn’t happen here. This is the first time, since I’ve lived here for like nine years now,” the friend said.
Gun violence is rare in Bensonhurst. This is the first fatal shooting reported there this year, according to data from the police department.
Neighbor Amber Brookes-Wagner said she and her husband moved to Bensonhurst last year from Harlem to escape gun violence — only to find it at their doorstep once again.
“It’s surprising for a more suburban area,” she said about the shooting.
Shocking surveillance video obtained by the Daily News shows a masked shooter opening fire in broad daylight on 20th Avenue as bystanders flee the sidewalk.
The investigation is ongoing.
Mavlonov is the 19th teenager to die in New York City because of gun violence this year, according to data from the NYPD. Department officials have said that the number of shootings among teens, while lower than last year, is still higher than pre-pandemic levels.
A recent study in Brooklyn revealed that young people carry guns for a variety of complex reasons, but only a small percentage of them intend to shoot someone.
A popular reason teens cited for carrying a gun was a fear of being shot.
Hours after Mavlonov was shot, around midnight, police were called to Times Square, where three other teenagers had been shot and injured after an apparent altercation with another person.
A 15-year-old and an 18-year-old were shot in the leg, according to the NYPD, and taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. A 17-year-old was grazed in the shoulder, and went to Harlem Hospital on his own.
Police said the teens had been hanging out around 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue before the shooting, and likely got into a dispute with the suspect. The nature of the argument is still unclear, but police said the two groups exchanged words before the shooting.
Officials said the suspect fled Times Square on foot and an investigation is underway.
This story has been updated with additional information. An earlier version misspelled Mavlonov's last name.
Tagged
public safety
gun violence
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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