A 12-year-old girl was shot twice Monday night when a gunman opened fire outside a Bronx apartment building, striking her in the torso and foot as she stood nearby as an innocent bystander, according to police. The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. on Tratman Avenue near Rowland Street in Westchester Square, just steps from Pearly Gates Park.
Medics rushed the girl to Montefiore Medical Center, where she is expected to survive, as reported by the New York Daily News. Police said they are looking for two boys, between 15 and 18 years old, who were seen fleeing the scene on foot dressed all in black. No arrests had been made as of the latest report, and investigators have not released a motive.
A Corner With a History of Gunfire
The block where the girl was shot has seen gun violence before. In June 2023, a victim was shot while playing basketball at Pearly Gates Park near Tratman and St. Peter's avenues and had to seek treatment at a local hospital, according to footage reviewed by FreedomNewsTV; the shooter in that case was not immediately apprehended.
Nearly five years earlier, in November 2021, two suspects dressed in all black shot a 16-year-old near P.S. X012 Lewis and Clark at 2555 Tratman Avenue before fleeing on foot, the Bronx Times reported. Police in that case released rideshare surveillance video in hopes of identifying the attackers. And back in June 2015, plainclothes NYPD officers chased an armed 19-year-old suspect along Tratman Avenue after he turned and fired two shots at pursuing officers before being arrested on Zerega Avenue, per CBS New York, which noted that a loaded .40-caliber Glock was dropped on the street.
Community Pushed for Lighting Upgrades Years Ago
The persistent violence along this stretch is not new to neighbors. Back in May 2018, the city's Department of Transportation approved an upgraded street lighting project at the intersection of Tratman and Rowland avenues, immediately adjacent to Pearly Gates Park, after the Bronx Times reported that Community Board 10 had specifically requested perimeter lighting to improve park visibility and deter gang activity and vandalism.
A Citywide Drop in Shootings, but a Spike in Youth Gun Arrests
The Monday night shooting lands amid a broader, seemingly contradictory trend across New York City. NYPD officials announced on October 6 that the city recorded historic lows in shooting incidents, shooting victims, and murders during the first nine months of 2026, with just 489 shooting incidents, 594 shooting victims, and 203 murders citywide, according to CBS New York.
Yet even as overall gun violence falls, youth involvement with firearms has moved in the opposite direction. NYPD juvenile arrest statistics reported on October 10 showed 423 youths under 18 were arrested with firearms in the city through early October, a 19% jump from 355 during the same period last year, according to the New York Post. Law enforcement officials cited state juvenile justice laws as a factor behind the rise in youth gun possession.
What Could Follow
If identified and charged, the teenage suspects could face serious criminal penalties.
The case adds to recent Bronx coverage involving young victims, including Hoodline's report on the death of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes. For now, the motive behind Monday's shooting remains unclear, and police have not said whether the teenage suspects were targeting a specific individual or whether surveillance cameras from Pearly Gates Park or nearby buildings captured their escape.
