State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie slammed the nation’s gun violence “scourge” Tuesday following the bloody drive-by shooting outside his Bronx district office — even as his constituents wondered why he wasn’t doing more to keep them safe.
Heastie (D-Bronx), one of the architects of the Empire State’s controversial criminal justice reforms, was in Albany hashing out the budget deal when gunmen opened fire outside his local office in Laconia around 3 p.m. Monday, striking a 20-year-old man in the head, according to cops and police sources.
“Yesterday I was notified there was a shooting outside my district office,” Heastie said in a statement. “This is an ongoing investigation, and I don’t have all of the details. I was in Albany at the time of the shooting, but I am grateful for the safety of my staff and everyone else who was in the vicinity at the time.
“Sadly, in this instance, another young person of color has fallen victim to gun violence,” he said. “As I have said repeatedly, we must stop focusing on the symptoms of crime and treat the disease. We must address the scourge of guns and gun violence plaguing our country, and this is yet another example of the urgent need to act.”
Locals, however, were left scratching their heads as to why the powerful Democrat wasn’t around more often.
“I don’t know who he is. I’ve never seen him,” a woman who asked to be identified only as Nicole said near Heastie’s office Tuesday, adding, “this area is bad.”
“He should be more active in the community,” she said. “It’s his job to come outside and talk to the people. If you are sitting there not doing anything to help your constituency, that’s not good. A lot of stuff happens in this neighborhood.
“Obviously he is not doing enough.”
Police said several gunmen opened fire from a white 2018 BMW sedan that had been stolen earlier in the day, striking a 20-year-old man in the head as he walked outside Heastie’s office.
Police have not made an arrest in the shooting. The victim remains in stable condition a Jacobi Hospital.
Heastie, one of the three most powerful pols in Albany, has been a vocal supporter of the state’s controversial 2019 criminal justice reforms that eliminated bail for most misdemeanor and non-violent felony charges — which critics say has allowed more criminals back on the streets.
Both Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) had resisted Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to give judges more discretion over bail by rolling back a requirement they impose the “least restrictive” standards to ensure people return to court.
A poll conducted by The Post in March found that his constituents in the heavily-Democratic district don’t see eye-to-eye with him, with nearly 57% of voters saying the reforms should be reversed.
Heastie also backed the “Raise the Age” law, which upped the age for young suspects to be charged as adults to 18, forcing the courts to deal with violent teens with kid gloves.
“I don’t agree with him,” Heastie constituent Tarek Duhaney said Tuesday. “If the person is, say, 16, he has common sense. At that age he knows what a gun can do. Why is he walking around with a gun if he doesn’t plan on using it?
“He should be charged as an adult if he shoots somebody or kills somebody,” Duhaney said. “He should not get treated like a kid. An innocent bystander could get hit. It could be a mother, a baby.”