Two girl cousins, ages 9 and 11, were shot and wounded Monday night while playing in a Brooklyn playground in a neighborhood that has seen its murder rate triple this year, cops said.
The young victims were playing in Hilltop Playground on Dean St. near Thomas Boyland St. in Brownsville when a gunman walked up and sprayed bullets around 9:05 p.m., police said.
The older girl was hit once in the back and the 9-year-old was shot in the leg. A relative drove them to the hospital.
Two gunmen were believed to be working together to target an individual but hit the children instead, according to authorities.
Assistant Chief Scott Henderson of NYPD Patrol Borough Brooklyn North denounced “yet another senseless act of gun violence directed toward our most vulnerable youth.”
“There were possibly two shooters who fired at least six rounds in the direction the children were playing,” he said at a press conference.
“Thankfully, both young girls are conscious, alert and being treated by the incredible medical staff,” Henderson added.
A witness said she heard about five rounds go off and watched the girls fall to the ground.
“Someone put them in a car and took them to the hospital,” said the woman, who asked not to be named. “It’s crazy out here.”
The girls were taken to Brookdale Hospital, where they were expected to recover.
After the shooting, police were scouring for surveillance footage that could help them identify the shooter, who is still being sought.
Red and white pairs of children’s Crocs could be seen inside the playground on Monday night. Five shells were on a walkway inside an entrance to the park.
“This is a horrific event,” said John Mastronardi, Deputy Chief at Detective Borough Brooklyn North.
“We’re not going to rule out gang-related incidents that are problematic to this particular area,” he added.
The NYPD’s 73rd Precinct, which covers the neighborhood, has seen an uptick in homicides this year, with 12 murders this year through May 26, compared to just four in the same time period last year.
As of last week, there were 23 shooting incidents with 27 victims in the neighborhood so far this year. That’s up from 14 incidents with 15 victims during the same time frame in 2023.
On Sunday, 14-year-old Jasai Guy was killed in the nearby Howard Houses when his 12-year-old cousin shot him in what appeared to be an accident, police and sources said.
The 12-year-old boy was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and criminal possession of a weapon.
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