Two 13-year-old boys arrested for shooting an innocent man in the head while leftist policies enable youth violence to surge unchecked across New York City.
Key Takeaways
- Two 13-year-olds have been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Daoud Marji, a 28-year-old plumber’s apprentice who was merely visiting a friend in the Bronx.
- Youth gun violence has skyrocketed in NYC, with the number of minors caught with guns increasing by 136% and underage shooters rising by 192% since 2018.
- Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch directly blames the state’s “Raise the Age” law, a progressive policy that modified how juveniles are prosecuted, for the alarming rise in youth violence.
- Between January and May 2025, 28 children under 18 have been shooting victims, with 17 adolescents arrested for shootings, signaling a city-wide crisis of youth violence.
- The growing trend of teen perpetrators and victims continues with multiple separate incidents, including two 17-year-olds struck by stray bullets in the Bronx within days of the Marji murder.
Innocent Man Killed by Teen Gunmen
A second 13-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Daoud Marji, a 28-year-old plumber’s apprentice from Yonkers who was shot in the head while visiting a friend in the Bronx. The teen was apprehended at LaGuardia Airport as he returned from Miami. Both teenagers now face charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon. Surveillance footage shows Marji was struck by a stray bullet while returning to a convenience store, making him yet another innocent victim of the escalating youth violence plaguing New York City.
“I’m a strong man, but I’m shocked. I have to take care of my family. My wife, she’s very bad. What am I going to do? He was my blood,” said Saed Marji, the victim’s father.
The shooting, which took place on University Ave. near W. Kingsbridge Road, also injured a 33-year-old woman. Police reported that four teens wearing ski masks and dark sweatsuits fled the scene in a gray Honda Civic after the shooting. Marji, who had been warned by his father about the dangers of visiting the Bronx, was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital where he later died from his injuries. The tragedy marks the continuation of a disturbing pattern of random gun violence in the city, coming just days after the fatal shooting of 61-year-old bodega owner Excenia Mette.
Progressive Policies Fueling Youth Violence
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has explicitly connected the alarming rise in youth violence to New York’s “Raise the Age” law, a progressive policy that changed how juvenile offenders are prosecuted in the state. The statistics tell a grim story: between 2018 and 2024, the number of minors caught with guns increased by 136%, underage shooters rose by a staggering 192%, and juvenile victims of gun violence increased by 81%. These numbers aren’t just data points—they represent a fundamental breakdown in public safety that is destroying families and communities.
“These are babies killing babies and it has to stop,” stated Jessica Tisch, Police Commissioner.
The two 13-year-olds arrested in the Marji case are part of a larger trend, being among four adolescents under 14 arrested in the Bronx for similar incidents within a six-week period. This acceleration of youth violence directly correlates with the implementation of leftist criminal justice reforms that prioritize “rehabilitation” over actual consequences, leaving communities vulnerable and emboldening young offenders who know they’ll face minimal penalties for their actions. The results of these misguided policies are now playing out on the streets of New York, written in the blood of innocent victims.
The Ongoing Crisis of Youth Violence
The violence continues unabated across the city. Just days after the arrest of the second teen in the Marji case, two separate shootings in the Bronx further highlighted the crisis. A 15-year-old boy was shot and wounded in one incident, while two 17-year-old boys were struck by stray bullets in another. Neither of the 17-year-old victims had criminal histories and were not believed to be intended targets—just more innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of a city spiraling out of control under progressive leadership that seems more concerned with coddling criminals than protecting law-abiding citizens.
“The number of kids under the age of 18 busted with a gun increased by a whopping 136% between 2018 and 2024,” said the top cop alongside Mayor Eric Adams at a crime stats briefing held at City Hall.
The alarming trend shows no signs of slowing, with Commissioner Tisch revealing that 28 children under 18 have been shooting victims this year, while 17 adolescents have been arrested for shootings. These statistics reflect the real consequences of the left’s soft-on-crime approach, which has abandoned tough enforcement in favor of progressive policies that have only emboldened criminal behavior. Until New York’s leadership takes a firm stand against youth violence and repeals the “Raise the Age” law that has clearly failed to protect communities, innocent New Yorkers will continue to pay the price for these misguided policies.
