Violence pierced the routine hum of New York City bodegas yesterday, as shots rang out in two separate incidents on the Upper West Side and in Brooklyn, leaving three individuals, including at least two teenagers, wounded. As reported by ABC7 New York, the first shooting occurred just before 8 p.m. at a bodega at 92nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. Two men received gunfire and were swiftly transported to the hospital, their conditions are stable and they are expected to recover.
In a concerning thread of events, another incident, following closely on the heels of the Upper West Side shooting, unfolded in East New York, Brooklyn. This second shooting, which authorities say took place around 9:30 p.m., resulted in a 16-year-old boy suffering wounds to his arm, hand, and groin at a deli on Sutter Avenue. According to the New York Post, the teen was rushed to Brookdale Hospital and is listed in stable condition.
Meanwhile, the police are on the hunt for the individuals responsible for these brazen acts of violence. Descriptions of the suspects have been sparse; in the Upper West Side shooting, the police are looking for a suspect wearing all black, and for the Brooklyn case, a suspect dressed in all-gray, remains at large. No arrests have been made and the broader narratives surrounding these crimes are still developing, leaving a community on edge as officials piece together what happened.
These two shootings add to a grim tally of recent New York City gun violence, occurring less than a week after a shooting in a Bronx deli, which left six people injured. The Bronx incident was particularly poignant, as a 40-year-old mother, and her 12-year-old daughter, were among the victims, with police reports stating the adult was used as a human shield. "Somebody just came in here and just shot somebody, that’s all. It’s not a big issue,” the owner of the deli in Brooklyn told the New York Post, in a chilling understatement that belies the gravity and frequency of gun violence plaguing the city's neighborhoods.
