A 7-year-old girl was shot in the abdomen while walking with her father in Harlem, as the unintended victim of a gang-related shooting yesterday afternoon near West 145th Street and Bradhurst Avenue, authorities said. The incident, which occurred just before 3 p.m., resulted in two arrests: 19-year-old Daniel Idowu and a 17-year-old minor, both facing multiple charges including attempted murder, as reported by ABC7NY.
Witness Angel Casanova described the immediate aftermath to ABC7NY, "When I ran up, I saw the cops carrying the girl to a patrol car. and then her dad was inconsolable that's all I remember I had to calm her dad down." According to police sources, the girl was adjacent to a Starbucks where at least nine shots were fired, shattering the front window of the store.
The young victim was taken to Harlem Hospital by police officers and arrived in stable condition. During a press briefing covered by The Daily News, NYPD Chief Brian Gill stated that two male suspects fired shots eastbound, hitting the girl instead of their intended targets. One firearm has been recovered, and authorities are still searching for a second weapon. Casanova added in an interview with ABC7NY, "He was saying wish it was him that was shot. He was like I wish it was me they could of killed me they could of killed me.'"
Amid the chaos, a Parks Department worker, Gill,, witnessed one of the suspects discarding the weapon, as he recalled for The Daily News, "I saw the kid throw the gun over the fence. It was a black gun cocked back." The shooting suspects were quickly apprehended by the 30 and 32 police precincts, a action that was commended by Mayor Eric Adams during a press conference. "I really want to commend the quick response of the 30 and 32 precincts and we're gonna see this through to justice. Clearly our hearts go out to the family, I pray for a quick recovery," he told ABC7NY.
