UPDATE
June 25, 2021
NYPD investigators arrested a gang member believed to be responsible for the shooting. Read more.
June 19, 2021
NEW YORK — A man was shot in front of horrified children on a New York City street. The gunfire miraculously missed a 13-year-old girl and her little brother as they were on a trip to buy some candy, police said.
The New York Post reported that at least 12 shots were fired by the gunman wearing a black mask who repeatedly aimed for the man falling to the ground and knocked over the children while trying to avoid being hit.
Video footage of the stunning attack shows the 5-year-old boy’s legs shaking in fear at one point as the victim’s blood is shed.
Somehow the wild gunfire—which took place on Sheridan Avenue near Mt. Eden Parkway—missed both children. According to police sources, the mayhem occurred outside the kids’ apartment building just before 7 p.m. on Friday. The shooter fled the scene on a scooter.
The male victim, 24, sustained three gunshot wounds. He was struck once in his back and one time in each leg. Investigators believe he was taken to Bronx Lebanon Hospital in a white Lexus with temporary New Jersey plates. The vehicle was found abandoned near the hospital, according to police sources.
The victim was undergoing surgery Friday evening, police said. He is expected to survive, sources told the New York Post.
As crime in New York City skyrockets, a friend of the childrens’ family said relatives hope to raise money so the traumatized siblings and their parents can move.
The parents of the children, who were on a walk to get some candy, talked to police but feared getting involved by filing a complaint, law-enforcement sources confirmed.
”The gun violence is too much,’’ a 31-year-old local woman named Kat told The Post on Friday.
”Everything is just too much. It’s like he was careless… heartless,” she said of the shooter.
“I see all this nonsense everyday all day,” Kat added. “You know what I’m saying. I’ve got a baby.”
As of Sunday, police recorded 211 shootings in 2021, as opposed to 97 at the same time last year, the news organization reported. As a result, nearly 250 people have fallen victim to the surging gunfire so far this year.