Gunman opens fire at July 4 barbecue in Brooklyn, wounding 8, including 4 children
At least eight people, including four children, were shot during a Fourth of July barbecue in Brooklyn’s Coney Island neighborhood on Saturday, according to police.
A family celebrating on the front porch of a high-rise apartment building near Surf Boulevard was approached by an unidentified man dressed in all black and wearing a black ski mask, approached the fence line along Surf Boulevard, fired multiple shots into the yard and fled on foot, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters at a news conference Sunday morning.
Responding to the call at around 10:35 p.m., police found eight people with gunshot wounds: four boys, ages 6, 7, 12, and 14; Two women, aged 21 and 25; The NYPD said there were two men, ages 33 and 37.
Police said that a 21-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were shot in the chest, a 6-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen, and three older boys were shot in the leg or thigh area.
The 21-year-old woman is in critical condition, while the seven other victims are in stable condition, according to police.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “There is no place for this type of violence in our city. We will not tolerate it and will fight it with every tool we have.” “As we grieve alongside those whose loved ones were injured, let us rededicate ourselves to the work of building a city where every celebration is safe and every holiday joyful.”
Authorities have not released the victims’ names or confirmed a motive for the shooting, but Tisch said there was no indication of an argument or altercation at the barbecue before the shooting.
However, he noted that a “confirmed gang-related homicide” occurred on the same block last week and that authorities were “investigating whether there is a connection between the two incidents.”
Tisch said a TEC-9-style firearm with an extended magazine was found at the scene, as well as 10 spent shell casings.
No arrests were made.
Elsewhere in Brooklyn, an NYPD detective was shot just after 4 a.m. Sunday when police encountered an armed 18-year-old man approaching his unmarked vehicle in the Crown Heights neighborhood, Tisch said.
The detective was shot in the back of his ballistic vest and was not seriously injured, Mamdani said. The mayor said he was working a 12-hour shift Saturday afternoon and “protecting New Yorkers on the Fourth of July.”
A second police officer had injuries to his face and shoulder, according to the commissioner. Mamdani said the suspect was disarmed by taser and taken into custody.
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