Syracuse police arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with a shooting earlier this week in Syracuse that left three young kids injured.

The teen is accused of shooting a 12-year-old, a 9-year-old and an 8-year-old in the area of Hier Avenue and Knaul Street around 8:30 p.m. Monday. 

The children were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

The teen was arrested Friday and charged with one count of second-degree attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Syracuse Police Department's homicide squad handled the investigation.

"We brought the homicide squad in, not just because of their expertise, but because then they could be dedicated to this crime, straight on," Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile said.

That shooting was Monday night. Not even 24 hours later, a 15-year-old was shot and killed in broad daylight at the Onondaga Park Pool across the city. That incident is still being investigated. 

These are just two instances of gun violence across the state, but they're sparking a conversation about what can be done to help.

"It's just a terrible thing to have happened," Cecile said.

He says the weather is only partially to blame for this spike in gun violence against youth. 

"Warmer weather does bring more people out," the chief said, "which means more interaction, which means you could have more issues."

SPD is allocating resources to help deal with these cases. After the Onondaga Park incident, Cecile said SPD is working to increase its presence at the city's pools.

"They're going to rove around and look at each pool, get out of their vehicle, stop, talk to the lifeguards and see what's going on," the chief said.

Cecile says the police can only do so much. One of the best resources for combatting youth violence is talking about these issues at home.

"Parents just need to say those direct things to their kids. Be aware, don't put yourself in a situation where you think it's dangerous," he said.

Despite this week's tragic events, Syracuse's police chief said the city's overall crime rate is down. With the extra resources and conversations, the hope is that kids can still enjoy the warm weather.

"These spikes occur," Cecile said, "Doesn't mean that the city's unsafe, doesn't mean that the pool is unsafe, but I would just say be aware of your surroundings."