Masked gunman opens fire at July 4 barbecue in Brooklyn; 8 injured

WASHINGTON: At least eight people, including four children, were injured after a gunman opened fire at a July 4 barbecue in the Coney Island neighbourhood of Brooklyn, CNN reported, citing the New York Police Department (NYPD).

According to CNN, the incident took place around 10.35 pm on Saturday when an unidentified man dressed in black and wearing a black ski mask approached the fence line along Surf Avenue and fired multiple rounds into the courtyard of a home where a family was celebrating before fleeing on foot.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said officers responding to the scene found eight people suffering from gunshot wounds. The victims included four boys aged 6, 7, 12 and 14, two women aged 21 and 25, and two men aged 33 and 37.

BREAKING: Eight people, including 4 children, injured after gunman wearing a ski mask opened fire at a 4th of July barbecue in Coney Island, Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/mTvHqAm34F

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Police said the 21-year-old woman and the 33-year-old man were shot in the chest, while the six-year-old boy sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The three older boys were shot in the leg or thigh. The 21-year-old woman remains in critical condition, while the other seven victims are in stable condition, CNN reported, citing police.

“There is no place for this kind of violence in our city. We will not tolerate it, and we will fight it with every single tool at our disposal,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “As we mourn alongside those whose loved ones have been hurt, let us also recommit ourselves to the work of building a city where every celebration is safe and every holiday is joyful,” Mamdani added.

Authorities have not identified the victims or established a motive for the shooting. Tisch said there was no indication of any argument or altercation before the gunfire erupted. However, she noted that “a confirmed gang-related homicide” had occurred on the same block last week and investigators were examining “whether there is a nexus between the two incidents.”

According to CNN, investigators recovered a TEC-9-style firearm with an extended magazine and 10 spent shell casings from the scene. No arrests have been made so far.

In a separate incident elsewhere in Brooklyn, an NYPD detective was shot shortly after 4 am on Sunday after officers encountered an armed 18-year-old man in the Crown Heights neighbourhood who approached their unmarked vehicle, CNN reported, citing Tisch.

Footage of the 18-year-old gunman who shot an NYPD detective in Brooklyn.

The detective, who was just 10 days away from retirement, was shot in the back after the suspect ran up to his unmarked police vehicle and opened fire. Police said his bulletproof vest saved his life.

The… pic.twitter.com/kTSvzelWgI

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The mayor said the detective was struck in the back of his ballistic vest and did not suffer serious injuries. He added that the officer had been working a 12-hour shift since Saturday afternoon, “protecting New Yorkers on the Fourth of July.”

Police said another officer sustained contusions to the face and shoulder. The suspect was Tasered, disarmed and taken into custody, CNN reported, citing Mamdani. (ANI)