Two Young Teens Murdered in Separate Incidents in Syracuse

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh is deeply concerned over two separate murders the occurred in his city that robbed the lives of a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.

In a news released issued Monday Walsh says,

In recent days, we have lost two teenagers to acts of violence involving other teens. Tonight, the victim was a 13 year old girl. This weekend, we lost a 15 year old boy. My prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as all of those touched by these tragedies.

The first incident occurred Friday night on the city's west side, according to Syracuse.com. The article states that a 14-year-old boy allegedly shot and killed a 15-year-old boy named Radames Francisco on the 400 block of Shonnard Street. The article states witnesses saw at least six gunshots just before 10PM on Friday. Police have identified the shooter as 14-year-old Sebastian Oliver. He is facing charges including Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Second Degree Murder.

The second tragic incident happened just before 6PM Monday in which a 13-year-old girl was fatally stabbed. Syracuse.com writes, "The stabbing was reported just before 6 p.m. in the 1200 block of W. Onondaga Street, Det. George Hack said in a statement Monday night." Det. Hack says the stabbing resulted from a 'physical disturbance.'

Walsh says,

In Syracuse right now, we have children and families in crisis. They are living in constant trauma in circumstances made worse by the stress and disruption of the last year. As a community, we need to give them refuge. We need to teach our children to value their own lives and the lives of others. We need to show them they are cared for in our homes, schools, community centers, places of worship and even in our streets. The City and the Syracuse Police are working closely with our community partners to protect and support our youth. We must and will do more.

The victim and suspect in the 13-year-old girl's death has not been released. It is unthinkable to imagine that children are killing children in the street. Violence in the city is on the rise and there may not be an answer. It is truly tragic when teens at such a young age turn to violence as a means of conflict resolution.