A family Fourth of July barbecue in Coney Island turned into a mass shooting Saturday night, leaving eight people wounded, including four children, police said.
The shooting happened shortly after 10 p.m. in the courtyard of a residential complex near Surf Avenue and West 30th Street.
Police said a man wearing a ski mask fired multiple rounds into the courtyard, where families had gathered for a holiday barbecue.
What You Need To Know
Eight people, including four children, were wounded in a shooting during a Fourth of July barbecue in Coney Island Saturday night
Police said a masked gunman opened fire into a courtyard near Surf Avenue and West 30th Street shortly after 10 p.m.
A 21-year-old woman was critically injured and a 6-year-old boy was shot in the stomach; the other child victims are ages 7, 12 and 14
Investigators recovered a firearm at the scene and are looking into whether the shooting is connected to recent gang violence in the area
Among those injured were a 6-year-old boy, who was shot in the stomach, a 7-year-old, a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old. A 21-year-old woman was critically injured after being shot in the chest. The remaining victims were adults. All were taken to area hospitals.
Police have not announced any arrests and are investigating whether the shooting was gang-related.
Residents returned to the courtyard Sunday to find food, coolers and children’s toys still scattered across the area.
“I’m looking at this and I’m like, ‘Wow, they must have been shooting at the cookout.’ Unbelievable,” said resident Donna McKnight.
“I don’t want no kids — I don’t want anybody, period — to get hurt. If you’re out here to have a good time, have a good time. Leave all that other stuff alone,” McKnight said.
Mark Sharkey, who lives in the neighborhood, called the shooting “a shame.”
Police said there was no dispute immediately before the shooting, but investigators recovered a firearm at the scene.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch addressed the shooting during a news conference in Crown Heights on Sunday.
“There is no kind of place for violence in our city. We will not tolerate it, and we will fight it with every tool at our disposal,” Mamdani said. “As we mourn beside loved ones that have been hurt, let us recommit ourselves to building a city where every holiday is safe and every celebration is joyful.”
Tisch said the shooting came just days after a deadly gang-related shooting on the same block.