Gunman opens fire at Brooklyn July 4th barbecue, injuring eight including four children

A July 4th barbecue in Brooklyn turned violent when a masked gunman opened fire, injuring at least eight people, including four children. The incident occurred around 10:35 p.m. in the Coney Island neighborhood.

According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), an unidentified man, dressed in black and wearing a ski mask, approached a home on Surf Avenue and fired multiple shots into a backyard gathering. Responding officers found eight individuals suffering from gunshot wounds. The victims included four boys aged 6, 7, 12, and 14; two women aged 21 and 25; and two men aged 33 and 37.

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There is no place for this kind of violence in our city. We will not tolerate it, and we will fight it with every single tool at our disposal.

Authorities reported that a 21-year-old woman was in critical condition after being shot in the chest, while the other seven victims were listed as stable. The six-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen, and the older boys sustained leg wounds. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that investigators recovered a TEC-9-style firearm with an extended magazine and ten spent shell casings from the scene.

While no motive has been established, investigators are exploring a potential link to a gang-related homicide that occurred on the same block the previous week. "There is no place for this kind of violence in our city. We will not tolerate it, and we will fight it with every single tool at our disposal," Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared. "As we mourn alongside those whose loved ones have been hurt, let us also recommit ourselves to the work of building a city where every celebration is safe and every holiday is joyful."

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As we mourn alongside those whose loved ones have been hurt, let us also recommit ourselves to the work of building a city where every celebration is safe and every holiday is joyful.