A 24-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon inside McLaughlin Park in Downtown Brooklyn, police say, in an attack that unfolded in broad daylight. Officers responding to the scene found the victim unconscious and unresponsive just after 2 p.m., with a gunshot wound to the torso.
According to News 12 Brooklyn, paramedics rushed the man to Methodist Hospital, where he later died. Investigators told the outlet they had not yet determined what led up to the shooting or identified who may have pulled the trigger. The two fatal shootings at the park were more than four years apart, from September 7, 2022, to September 22, 2026.
McLaughlin Park
McLaughlin Park is bounded by Tillary Street, Jay Street, Cathedral Place, and Bridge Street, according to NYC Parks.
The 84th Precinct station house is at 301 Gold Street, and the precinct patrols Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, and the Farragut Houses, Hoodline has previously reported. The precinct maintains one of the lowest violent crime rates in Brooklyn, averaging roughly 1.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents compared to the borough-wide average of 6.2.
Gun Violence in Brooklyn
This is not the first time McLaughlin Park has been the scene of fatal daytime gunfire. On September 7, 2022, 15-year-old Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School student Unique Smith was fatally shot in the stomach inside the same park, an attack that ended in November 2025 when 19-year-old Wesley Walker, identified as an FNO Woo gang member, was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison for second-degree murder after confronting the teenager on a park bench during school dismissal hours, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.
The Brooklyn Eagle reported record-low levels of gun violence in Brooklyn in 2025.
Recent Violence Near Downtown Brooklyn
Tuesday's shooting adds to a string of violent incidents that have rattled the surrounding blocks in recent months. In March, gunfire erupted near the City Point complex when a 30-year-old woman was shot in the lower leg near 445 Albee Square West, a case Hoodline covered in Gunfire Erupts Near City Point; that victim was also taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital for treatment.
The Jay St-MetroTech subway station is just steps from the park.
Borough-wide, prosecutors have moved aggressively against gang-linked gun violence in recent months. In April, Brooklyn prosecutors and the NYPD unsealed 188-count indictments charging 36 alleged members of rival street alliances WOOO and CHOO following a probe into 36 shooting incidents across the borough, citing social media feuds and territorial disputes as driving factors.
As of Tuesday, investigators had not determined what led up to the McLaughlin Park shooting or identified a suspect. No further details on a possible motive or gang connection have been released.
