Eight people were shot in Coney Island on July 4 night while they were watching fireworks, and four of the victims were children. The shooting happened at about 10:35 p.m. near 2930 W. 30th St. off Surf Ave, close to the boardwalk where a fireworks display had been set for 9:45 p.m.
Mackenzie, a resident who lives in the area, said she came home expecting a holiday night out and found a block rocked by gunfire instead. "This building is always partying," she said. "I came home to have fun and now this? This building always has some trouble." Her words matched what nearby residents have been saying for some time: the block does not feel new to trouble, even when the night begins with fireworks.
The victims were a 33-year-old man shot in the chest, a 21-year-old woman shot in the chest, a 25-year-old woman shot in the legs or thigh, a 14-year-old boy shot in the legs or thigh, a 12-year-old boy shot in the legs or thigh, a 7-year-old boy shot in the legs or thigh, a 37-year-old man shot in the shoulder and a 6-year-old boy shot in the stomach. Seven of the victims were in stable condition, while the 21-year-old woman was in critical condition. All were taken to local hospitals after police and detectives swarmed the scene outside the Seapark Apartments.
A deli worker said he saw officers running with young victims in their hands, and video from the scene showed police carrying children to safety before medical crews moved them out. He said he was told there were four children inside an ambulance, and he believed there may have been more than one shooter because so many people were hit. The same worker said police found a book bag with a gun under the trees, but investigators have not said publicly who fired the shots or what set off the gunfire.
The shooting unfolded during a holiday fireworks outing in Brooklyn, turning a crowded celebration into a crime scene in a matter of moments. With one victim still in critical condition and four children among the wounded, the case remains under investigation, and the unanswered question now is not whether the night changed, but who turned it into a shooting at all.
