On the night of 4 July, a man wearing a black ski mask opened fire on a family barbecue in Coney Island, Brooklyn, leaving eight people wounded. The victims include four boys aged six, seven, 12 and 14, as well as two women, aged 21 and 25, and two men, aged 33 and 37.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters: 'An unknown male dressed in all-black and wearing a black ski mask approached the fence line and fired multiple rounds into the courtyard and then fled on foot. There is no indication at this time that there was any argument or altercation at the barbecue before the shooting occurred.'
The shooting happened at around 10:30pm in the courtyard of a high-rise residential building on West 30th Street and Surf Avenue in Coney Island. No arrests had been made at the time of writing, but officers recovered a pistol with an extended magazine and 10 shell casings from the scene.
Seven Recovering, One Still in Critical Condition
Police have publicly revealed the victims' injuries and that all of them have been taken to the hospital.
A 37-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were shot in the shoulder, while a 33-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman were struck in the chest. The 21-year-old woman remains in a critical condition.
A six-year-old boy suffered gunshot wounds to the stomach, while a seven-year-old and a 12-year-old were shot in the legs. A 14-year-old was struck in the thigh.
Grandmother Recalls the Horror of the Shooting
A woman who identified herself as the grandmother of the injured children described the terrifying moments after the shooting.
'When I came downstairs, I'm like, "all my grands got shot." I'm just going crazy right now,' she said. She also described how quickly events unfolded, adding: 'They're in the hospital... we were just having a party for the kids. The six-year-old might lose his legs.'
Another unnamed witness said: 'People were running, people were screaming, kids were screaming,' adding that they dropped their phone and ran as 'five or 10 gunshots' rang out across the courtyard.
Authorities Continue Investigations
By Sunday, the family had cleaned up the scene while a police presence remained in the area. Commissioner Tisch said detectives were investigating whether the shooting was connected to another gang-related incident previously reported on the same block.
'There is no indication at this time that there was any argument or altercation at the barbecue before the shooting occurred,' Tisch reiterated.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed support for the victims during a Sunday press briefing. He said there was no place for violence in the city.
'We will not tolerate it. And we will fight it with every tool at our disposal,' he reiterated.
A Violent Holiday Weekend
The Coney Island shooting was one of at least six mass shootings reported across the United States during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The incidents, which occurred in several states, left multiple people dead and dozens injured, underscoring a weekend marked by gun violence during the nation's Independence Day celebrations.
