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Four Teens Shot In Brooklyn Playground
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 14, 2012
Modified Aug 14, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 14, 2012
Modified Aug 14, 2012
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Four teenagers were shot while they were in a Brooklyn playground's basketball court last night around 6:30 p.m. A witness said of the shooting, at Fish Playground on Fulton Street between Saratoga Ave. and Hopkinson Ave., "It sounded like fireworks," while another said, "I was just coming off the train, I heard ‘pow pow pow.'"
WABC 7 reports, "The series of gunshots rang out at the Brooklyn playground when police say a teen on a bicycle opened fire at a group of young people. Police say two 16-year-old boys were shot in the arm, while an 18-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl were grazed in the back." It's unclear whether the victims were the intended targets or what the motive was.
One resident fumed to WABC 7, "Our own kids can't go and play basketball in the park. Can't have fun, enjoy your kid life. Can't be a kid no more," while a mother said to WCBS 2,
"The kids was innocently playing basketball in the park and these kids getting shot like this — just don’t make no kind of sense. We need some help out here."
Community activist Tony Herbert said, "This is ground zero. Brownsville has been the epitome of where the stupidity takes place. The community’s saying it’s gang related. The police don’t have to say that, folks are snitching, they…are giving up whatever information they can and I implore them to keep doing that."
This is one of too many shootings where teens have been victims, including a 4-year-old boy who was killed by a stray bullet, a 14-year-old was killed after playing tennis (apparently by a stray bullet) and a 2-year-old and 13-year-old were injured by a drive-by shooting.
Tagged
brooklyn
crime
fish playground
gun violence
shooting
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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