Police are investigating after a 4-year-old boy died in Brooklyn.
The boy’s parents are being questioned by the police.
Police in hazmat suits were spotted on the scene, looking for evidence on Tuesday night. At this point, no one has been arrested and no charges have been filed.
Community members in East Flatbush are reeling after the death of a four-year-old boy at a family shelter on Glenwood Road and East 46th Street.
“I’m saddened, I’m saddened, and shocked,” said Sharon Walker.
Walker, a teacher who works about a block away from the shelter and lives in the neighborhood, says she’s visited inside the shelter before.
“That could have been my student, and I have students that lives here,” Walker said. “Everybody deserves to have a safe environment to live, it’s a shelter, but we need to be safe.”
Greg George is also upset to learn about the boy’s death. “It make me feel sad, to know a young guy like that don’t live no life yet, and he just passed away like that.”
First responders arrived at the Women in Need or Win shelter Tuesday morning. The boy was having a medical episode. Published reports indicate he may have been exposed to fentanyl. But the NYPD has not confirmed that any drugs were involved.
The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was in critical condition. He later died.
“As a father witnessing this, it’s really tragic to me,” said Christopher Correa, who lives at the Win shelter with his two children.
Correa says he didn’t know the boy or his parents. He also praised the shelter for having afforded him opportunities, and says he’s surprised this happened.
“This is a very good shelter because it has so much perks — a lot of families get a lot of help from this shelter,” said Correa.
Win, which oversees the family shelter where the boy was staying, released a statement saying, “Win is devastated by the tragic death of this innocent child who came to reside with us in one of our shelters. We are working closely with the NYPD to support their ongoing investigation. We remain committed as ever to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all families that call a Win shelter home.”
So far, there have been no allegations of wrongdoing against the shelter or the parents. The investigation is ongoing.