May 20th -- 2 dead, including foster child dead from pain patch...

Taylor Webster, a 6-year-old foster child, died Sunday evening at Mount Sinai Hospital after her foster mother slapped a pain patch on the child, contrary to indications on the packaging that it was to be kept out of reach of children, according to stories in the NY Times, Daily News, and NY Post.

Joanne Alvarez, Taylor's 54-year-old foster mother, was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the reports. Alvarez allegedly administered the fentanyl patch to relieve the girl of a neck ache after Motrin did not help the child's pain. They lived in an 11th floor apartment in the Taft Houses in East Harlem.

It turned out to be a fatal mistake because the strength of the patch is based on a person's weight. Alvarez who weighed in at 260 pounds while little Taylor weighed 200 pounds less.

Although administering the patch could be construed as a terrible mistake, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly explained that Alvarez faced manslaughter and other charges because of the severity of her alleged negligence. Kelly told The Times: “You can have negligence and you can have gross negligence that rises to the level of criminality. It really has to do with the gross aspect of the negligence, as to whether or not it rises to the level of criminality.”

Alvarez was being held on $500,000 bail. Alvarez was viewed in sharp contrast by neighbors, some of whom said she was a good foster parent, and others who said she never showed any love to the children left in her care.

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Tyrese Johnson, a 16-year-old black youth, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head Monday afternoon in front of 1075 Beach 21st Street in the Far Rockaway section of Queens, according to police reports. Johnson lived with an aunt in North Carolina but was spending time with his parents in Queens. His father told the News: "His mother sent him to North Carolina to get him out of this world. I can't believe they're shooting people in daylight."

He was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests. It was the second time in the past week that a teenager had been killed by random gunfire in the neighborhood. Both teens had been moved out of the area by worried parents, only to be killed when they returned for brief visits.