Oh really? And what are the pathways out other than death?
If you even begin to point a gun, or a knife, at me you’d better be faster and more accurate, and I’m damned sure not gonna aim at your feet.
The military.
Getting what you can out of the crappy school and making the attempt to be somebody and do something other than a felon.
Hanging around with some of the community successes in legit activity — pester the politician, store owner, local cop, firefighters, or other people that are actually doing stuff to learn and grow and make yourself known.
Those are 3 paths right off the top of my head. Everybody has there own cross to bear — the direction of my own life was pretty touch and go for a few years. Point a gun at a cop, I don’t care if you are 6 or 60, and that will probably work out poorly for all concerned. Frankly, this boy had to have some people somewhere, but they aparrently did not give a $—t enough about him to teach a basic survival skill — “don’t point a gun at a cop, boy!”. Mamma seems to be pretty good at wondering ‘why’? Perhaps a few minutes with the closest mirror may give her some answers.
Plenty of kids grow up in the ‘hood, grow up poor, grow in f’ed up circumstances. Very few of them make this piss poor of a choice when they are teenagers.
They are called "the Interstate Highway System".
There is a whole, wonderful country outside Flatbush. Anyone stupid enough to spend their life in one of those urban hellholes you describe deserves nothing better.