At least eight people, including four children, were shot and wounded on Saturday evening during the Fourth of July holiday in New York City's Coney Island section, according to police. The incident occurred around 10:35 p.m. on West 30th Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood, not far from a boardwalk where a fireworks display had concluded less than an hour earlier.
Victims and Injuries
Among the injured are a 33-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman shot in the chest; a 25-year-old woman; and a 37-year-old man struck in the shoulder. Four children were also wounded: a six-year-old boy struck in the stomach, a seven-year-old boy shot in the leg or thigh, another six-year-old boy struck in the stomach, and two other boys aged 12 and 14. All victims were taken to hospitals, with seven listed in stable condition. The 21-year-old woman is reported to be in critical condition.
Police Response and Investigation
Police recovered a pistol with an extended magazine and 10 shell casings at the scene but have not made any arrests. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated at a press briefing on Sunday that the victims were found in a courtyard where a family barbecue was being held. “An unknown male dressed in all-black and wearing a black ski-mask approached the fence line and fired multiple rounds into the courtyard and then fled on foot,” Tisch said. “There is no indication at this time that there was any argument or altercation at the barbecue before the shooting occurred.” Tisch noted that a gang-related homicide had recently occurred on the same block, and police are investigating whether there is a connection between the two cases.
Official Statements
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the shooting at the briefing, stating, “There is no place in our city for this kind of violence. We will not tolerate it. And we will fight it with every tool at our disposal.”
Broader Context of Mass Shootings
As of Sunday morning, at least 215 mass shootings have occurred across the U.S. so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as incidents where four or more victims are wounded or killed. On Saturday alone, at least six mass shootings were reported nationwide, with at least two more on Sunday morning. One such shooting early Sunday in downtown Pensacola, Florida, left a 19-year-old man dead and six others aged 16 to 26 wounded. Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom said the shooting appeared “targeted,” but no arrests have been made. The incident occurred as hundreds of young people gathered downtown, with some reportedly fighting and throwing fireworks.
Additional Incident in Crown Heights
The Coney Island shooting came hours before an NYPD officer from the sex offender monitoring unit was shot in his ballistic vest in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn in what appeared to be a targeted attack. Officers deployed stun guns on an 18-year-old suspect and arrested him; the officer's injuries were minor. Commissioner Tisch noted that the attack occurred on the ninth anniversary of the murder of NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia, who was ambushed in a marked vehicle.
Declining Crime Rates
The shootings occurred two days after Tisch announced that the NYPD reported the fewest shootings, shooting victims, and murders for the first half of a year in recorded history. There were 322 shooting incidents, beating the previous low of 337 set in 2018; 381 shooting victims, beating the previous low of 397 set in 2025; and 122 murders, beating the previous low of 136 set in 2017. Major crime citywide was down 5.8%.
