Last night, during the Pride celebrations at Washington Square Park in New York City, a joyful event abruptly escalated into chaos. According to the NYPD and The New York Post, at around 7:45 p.m., a shirtless man deployed bear spray into the crowd, while simultaneous false reports of gunfire prompted a mass stampede away from the perceived threat. More than 50 people were injured, with injuries ranging from bear spray exposure to trampling-related trauma, as thousands tried to escape the densely packed park.
The NYPD arrested the man responsible for spraying the bear deterrent, who reportedly acted in self-defense because he thought he was about to be attacked. As of now, none of the injuries are expected to be life-threatening. "We all thought some fanatic with a gun was shooting people, so of course we all ran in whatever direction would get us out of the park the fastest," Omari Loftin, a 20-year-old from Washington Heights, told The New York Post. The park was estimated to have held roughly 10,000 people at the time of the incident.
Late into that same evening, just steps away from a symbol of LGBTQ perseverance, the Stonewall Inn, another act of violence occurred barely a block from this historic site. As reported by Gothamist, two teenage girls suffered gunshot wounds around 10:15 p.m. The shooting took place at 7th Avenue and Grove Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. NYPD officials are still searching for the assailant, and the motive remains unclear. One of the victims, a 16-year-old girl, is in critical condition with a head wound, while the 17-year-old victim was shot in the leg and is in stable condition.
Mayor Eric Adams expressed his concern over the incidents, stating, "During a time when our city should be rejoicing and celebrating members of our diverse LGBTQ+ community, incidents like this are devastating," in a post obtained by Gothamist. The violence is particularly striking given that the 6th Precinct, which includes the West Village and Greenwich Village, had not reported any shooting incidents during the current year or the first six months of the previous year.
The NYPD is continuing its investigation into both the bear spray and shooting incidents following the events at the Pride celebration. Law enforcement is working to determine the full sequence of events that led to the injuries sustained by participants.
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