Twelve people were shot across three boroughs on July 4-5 as Independence Day celebrations gave way to bloodshed.
The worst of the incidents happened in Brooklyn’s Coney Island, where four children were injured in a mass shooting at a family barbecue in the front courtyard of 2929 West 31st St., near Surf Avenue, just before 10:40 p.m. on July 4.
According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, an unidentified male shooter in all-black clothing and wearing a ski mask walked up to the fence line and began firing numerous shots into the courtyard.
“The individual then fled on foot southbound on West 30th Street toward Surf Avenue. There is no indication at this time that there was any argument or altercation at the barbecue before the shooting occurred,” Tisch said during an early morning press conference.
Officers from the 60th Precinct rushed to the scene after a 911 call reported that multiple people had been shot, and came upon a scene of bloody carnage in which eight people in total were wounded by the gunfire.
Upon arrival, cops found a 6-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, a 7-year-old boy with gunshot wounds to both legs, and a 12-year-old boy who had been shot in one leg. A 14-year-old boy was also injured when he was struck in the thigh.
Meanwhile, a 21-year-old suffered a bullet wound to the chest, and a 25-year-old woman was hit in the leg. Finally, a 33-year-old man was also hit by gunfire in his chest, and a 37-year-old man was struck in the shoulder.
EMS rushed the eight victims to nearby hospitals. The 21-year-old woman is in critical condition; the others are listed in stable condition.
Tisch added that a gang-related homicide occurred on the same block last week, and an investigation is underway to determine if the two incidents are related in any way.
A gun with an extended magazine was recovered on scene, along with at least ten shell casings.
The incident left Mayor Zohran Mamdani outraged.
“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,” Mamdani said during the July 5 press conference.
Meanwhile, gun violence erupted across other parts of the city on the Fourth and Fifth of July.
According to police sources, the first incident unfolded in Queens at around 9:33 p.m. on July 4, when officers from the 103rd Precinct responded to a 911 call about an assault in front of an apartment building located at 148-25 89th Ave. in Jamaica.
When officers arrived, they found an unidentified man with a gunshot wound and a 19-year-old man with a slash wound to the face.
EMS rushed both individuals to Jamaica Hospital, where the unnamed man was listed in critical but stable condition. The 19-year-old male is listed in stable condition.
No arrests have been made in this case and the investigation remains ongoing.
In the Bronx, a 32-year-old man was shot and wounded near the corner of Grand Concourse and East Mount Eden Avenue at about 10:38 p.m. on July 4. EMS rushed him to Lincoln Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
Less than an hour later, a 15-year-old was shot multiple times at an apartment building at 1595 Madison Ave. in East Harlem at about 11:15 p.m. on Saturday. Officers from the 23rd Precinct transported him in their vehicle to Harlem Hospital, where he is expected to survive.
Finally, at 1:42 a.m. on July 5, a 34-year-old man walked into Lincoln Hospital after suffering a gunshot wound at an unidentified location. He is listed in stable condition.
“The five shootings last night, and in the morning, two out of the five were in violent reduction zones,” NYPD Chief of Department Michael LiPetri said.
The shocking outburst of gun violence occurred just days after Tisch and Mamdani announced that the NYPD had reported the fewest shootings on record during the first six months of 2026, even amid great concern about an increase in gun violence involving teenagers.
Anyone with information regarding any of the July 4-5 shootings can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
