'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAsaaH/8QAHRAAAgIDAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAUREgAjQf/aAAgBAQABPwDF4C7ce9R1UlSeLiMvIya+6EdaUhhr1XA4GvWhhalNI0aBC5nI61++/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADH/2gAIAQIBAT8Aj//EABQRAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/2gAIAQMBAT8Af//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A 7-year-old Jewish boy and his father were allegedly shot by 25-year-old Jason Kish while the boy was exiting a Staten Island kosher grocery store on Sunday, December 4, 2022.
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of an anti-Semitic attack which may be triggering to certain readers. Discretion advised.
A video has surfaced online that shows a Hasidic man and his son getting shot at, with a BB gun near the 2200 block of Victory Boulevard near Carmel Avenue. Issac Klein (32) and his son, Alexander, were reportedly in traditional Jewish attire when the incident happened.
Authorities have labeled the incident as a possible hate crime and the suspect, Jason Kish, was arrested and faces hate crime charges.
Jewish father-son duo got shot by pellets at Staten Island
An anti-Semitism roundtable was held on December 7, 2022, at the White House and several Jewish leaders were in attendance. Dough Emhoff, who hosted the discussion, spoke about the hostility that Jews face and mentioned that there is an "epidemic of hate" in the country.
Just a few days before the roundtable, the attack on the Jewish father and son took place in Staten Island. At around 4:20 pm local time on Sunday, Issac and his son Alexander were exiting the Staten Island grocery store when a black Ford Mustan rolled by. The driver of the car shot pellets at Issac and Alexander.
As mentioned earlier, both Issac and Alexander were wearing traditional Jewish clothes, including yarmulkes. The pellets hit Issac in the chest, and they grazed his son’s ear. According to the cops, the vehicle that Kish was driving did not have license plates. After the shooting, Jason immediately drove off west towards Richmond Avenue.
The father-son duo did not sustain any serious injuries, and refused immediate medical aid of any sort. While law enforcement didn't make any immediate arrests, the NYPD said that areacops and the city's hate crime task force had tracked Jason Kish.
Cops have also been investigating whether the attack was related to anti-Semitism, which refers to hatred or hostility towards Jews.
In a press conference, Mayor Adams said:
“You have to think about the impact of this — no severe injury, but emotionally, the severity is real. That young man will never walk that street again, without thinking about that incident.”
Standing outside the 121st Precinct on Staten Island, the Mayor also added that Jason Kish was arrested thanks to everyone who helped the police, including the public. An hour after the attack, police pulled Kish over but let him go, not knowing that he had just committed a crime.
A resident of the area said that Kish was a juvenile delinquent and a "bad egg." The resident also mentioned hearing rumors that the suspect along with his brother had shot an elderly woman prior to this incident.
Reports suggest a rise in hate crime percentage over the country
NYPD reported that hate crimes seen nearly a 125% rise last month as compared to 2021. The police have mentioned that about 60% of hate crimes in the city are faced by Jews.
Mayor Adams said:
“There has been a substantial increase in hate crimes, particularly antisemitism, across the entire country. We know that New York City has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.”
He continued to say that it was important to stop the spread of hate that was happening on social media. The Mayor noted that they needed to "combat it in a very real way" and that Staten Island had proved that they would do just that.
One of the victims, the father, Issac Klein, spoke to Staten Island Advance about the incident and said,
“We came out of the supermarket. He stopped, shot at us, and flew away.”
Klein continued:
“Hate is out there — you see it — but to physically abuse or throw something or with a BB gun hitting a kid, that’s unacceptable.”
The NYPD and the city’s hate crime task force are actively investigating and looking into the case to unearth all possible details.
Bernie Zimmerman, a local resident, said that he felt incredibly frightened as it is a "scary thing" to have someone shoot pellets at you.
The Anti-Defamation League (aka ADL) released an annual report in 2021. The report reads:
“This is a 34% increase from the 2,026 incidents tabulated in 2020 and the highest number on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979.”
Netizens have flooded social media platforms and have condemned the incident and showered support for Klein and his son and called out Kish.
The suspect involved in the Staten Island shooting is reportedly a resident of Port Richmond. He faces charges of assault as a hate crime, reckless endangerment, and child endangerment. According to police, prior to the Staten Island incident, Kish had two more arrests. He was finally arrested on Tuesday morning.
