News: Recent Shootings on Long Island
(Long Island, N.Y.) A man was arrested yesterday in connection with a massive shooting that erupted on a crowded Boardwalk in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, killing a sixteen-year-old girl. The girl was rushed to Coney Island Hospital in critical condition, but later succumbed to her wounds. The girl’s mother claims that authorities at the scene were too preoccupied with enforcing New York City’s recent outdoor smoking bans to ensure that none of the beachgoers were carrying guns.
The incident also left four others injured, some of whom were rushed to Coney Island Hospital and Lutheran Hospital. The boardwalk had been packed with teenagers because schools had let out for “Brooklyn-Queens Day.” The sweltering weather also attracted many to the beach who attempted to cool off, and some have blamed the heat for the fighting that followed.
Followers of the case claimed that the fighting is not unusual for the area and that many teens don’t come to the beach to swim, and would rather look to fight. Reports stated that the four injured in the shooting were men between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-six. At least one of them was listed as being in critical condition days after the shooting.
Reports stated that bullets were fired at close range toward a group of five people sitting on a bench. The area quickly turned into absolute chaos, as panicked mothers rushed to get their children to safety. Many claimed their immediate reaction was to run in the opposite direction, while others stayed in the area after shots went off and some took footage of the aftermath.
One witness claimed that he saw the sixteen-year-old get hit in the leg and a man holding his chest after shots were fired. Police and authorities on the case have wondered if the victims of the shooting were intended targets or innocent bystanders. Reports stated that the violence occurred after a fight had broken out, and at least two gunmen had been firing bullets.
It’s uncertain whether the incident was gang-related and whether other shooters responsible for the victims’ injuries are still at large. There were plenty of witnesses to the shooting and police returned to the beach the following day for a thorough search of the area. They had been looking for the weapons used and any possible evidence that could be tied to the gunmen.
The incident occurred at roughly five-thirty that evening across from Tatiana’s Restaurant on Brighton 6th Street. Similar incidents have occurred in Long Island towns, and the boardwalk in Long Beach has a history of being the scene of gang-related violence. Reports have also stated that a stabbing occurred hours after the Brighton Beach incident in the same area of the shooting.
