TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 1 - APRIL 7, 2022 4
BY ETHAN MARSHALL
Following last week’s incident
in which a Benjamin N. Cardozo
High School student was shot by
another student just three blocks
away from the school, local government
and school leaders expressed
concern for the school’s
3,600 students and how they can
work to prevent more incidents
like this from happening.
The leaders spoke from the
corner of Springfield Boulevard
and the Horace Harding Expressway,
where the shooting occurred
March 26 at approximately 3:10
p.m. as the victim was walking
home from school.
According to Congresswoman
Grace Meng, two areas in need
of improvement at the school are
the addition of more school safety
guards and investing in social
programs for students as they adjust
to returning to normal school
life following the pandemic. Additionally,
Meng said the school and
111th Precinct are both looking
into possibly bringing back the
school engagement program.
“This program involves officers
engaging with students in
busy neighborhoods,” Meng said.
The amount of school safety
guards at Cardozo was cut back
to between two and five after
students returned to in-person
classes. With approximately
3,600 students in the school,
Meng hopes the school can get
as many as 10 safety guards
in order to better prevent violence
from occurring between
students. However, this prospect
is difficult due to the current
shortage of safety officers
within the school district.
Meng said the shooting victim
is expected to make a full recovery.
Two students were taken
into custody Friday in connection
with the shooting. Additionally,
the New York Post reported
that police were looking for two
other individuals believed to be
involved in the shooting.
Meng said the police will provide
more information on the
case once it becomes available.
Law enforcement sources
told QNS that a 15-year-old was
charged with criminal possession
of a weapon. It is unclear if
the teenager is currently facing
additional charges.
According to law enforcement
sources, the victim was approached
by four people with surgical
gloves and masks on. They
then proceeded to open fire on the
victim, striking him in the right
Congresswoman Grace Meng and local officials spoke during a press
conference following the shooting of a high school student three blocks
away from Benjamin N. Cardozo High School. Photo by Daniel Sparrow
arm before fleeing the scene. The
victim was rushed to the Cohen
Children’s Hospital and treated
for his injuries.
While this area of Bayside
usually isn’t prone to violence,
last week’s shooting was the second
incident over the span of a
week. At least 19 shots were fired
in a neighborhood during the early
hours of March 19, resulting in
one teenager getting wounded.
Congresswoman Meng hopes
the implementation of more security
workers at schools like
Cardozo and increased positive
communication between students
and police officers will help
immensely in reducing violence
not just in schools, but also
within the community. “We
will not tolerate violence in our
community,” Meng said.
Benjamin N. Cardozo High
School was founded in 1967. It has
long been one of the top-scoring
high schools in the country and is
still nationally ranked today.
Queens leaders call for additional
safety guards after student shot
near high school in Bayside
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