April 2, 2026 BROOKLYN, NY — The sidewalk near Moore and Humboldt Streets is usually filled with the mundane sounds of East Williamsburg life. On Wednesday afternoon, those sounds were replaced by the crack of gunfire and the bone-chilling screams of a mother realizing her worst nightmare.
Kaori Patterson-Moore was only seven months old. She didn't have a chance to walk, to talk, or to grow up. She was sitting in her stroller, being pushed by her mother at 1:25 p.m. on April 1, when two men on a moped turned a public corner into a war zone.
The Moment the Music Stopped
According to law enforcement, the violence was swift and senseless. As the moped zipped through the intersection, the passenger opened fire. The mother, acting on pure instinct, scrambled into a nearby bodega for cover. It was only then, in the dim light of the deli, that she looked down and saw the blood pooling around her daughter’s head.
"The dad brought the baby in," one witness at Woodhull Hospital recalled, the trauma still fresh in her voice. "The dad was screaming, ‘Save my baby!’ and the mother was screaming at the top of her lungs."
Despite the frantic efforts of medical staff, Kaori was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. She is now a statistic in a city that thought it was seeing a reprieve from such violence.
A High-Speed Crash and a Shoes-Off Scramble
The perpetrators didn’t get far before karma—and a passenger vehicle—intervened. Two blocks away, at Manhattan Avenue and Seigel Street, the moped slammed into a car, sending both suspects airborne.
The suspected shooter hit the pavement so hard he literally flew out of his shoes. While he was eventually taken into custody on an unrelated domestic violence charge, his partner—the driver—managed to scramble to his feet and vanish into the urban labyrinth of the nearby Marcy Houses.
The Fugitive Description:
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Gender: Male
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Attire: White T-shirt, light gray pants
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Distinguishing Feature: Black surgical mask
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Last Seen: Fleeing toward Park and Marcy Avenues
"Bloodhounds Are on the Trail"
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch didn't mince words during an afternoon press conference outside the 90th Precinct. She confirmed that while the motive appears gang-related, little Kaori was never the target. She was simply "in the way" of a stray bullet.
"All New York City police officers have a very clear picture of this outstanding suspect on their phone," Tisch warned. "In addition, NYPD bloodhounds are currently working to track his movements."
