Streets in Brooklyn have turned into apparent gang war zones, with the latest series of shootings between Monday night and Tuesday morning leaving at least a dozen people shot and injured.
Early on Monday night, six people were shot in Canarsie in just 14 minutes during three connected drive-by shootings. As the night went on, six more would be shot on the streets of Canarsie and East New York.
Police officials believe the gun violence in Brooklyn stems from a street gang war over the death of rapper Pop Smoke back in February.
There were at least 17 people shot on Monday leaving two dead in their wake in an explosion of gun violence that has been raging for several weeks that may have links to a street gang war over the death of rapper Pop Smoke.
Three adults and two teenagers were charged with murder on Sunday in the shooting death of rapper Pop Smoke at his Hollywood Hills home on Feb. 19. The four people arrested apparently have links to a street gang and may have set off the latest chain of shootings in Brooklyn and around the city. LA told the LA Times that the five had links to a street gang but did not identify that gang.
Chief of Department Terrence Monahan, in an interview with 1010 WINS on Tuesday morning, said that a number of shootings are gang-related. Detectives, including members of the recently disbanded Anti-Crime Units, are working hard to investigate each shooting and track down the shooters.
One police commander privately said, “I haven’t seen anything like this since the 90s. It’s out of control.”
Earlier this month, Crips gang members massed at a memorial on East 92nd Street in Canarsie for the rapper to celebrate the posthumous release of his album, “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.” Some gang members wore blue and white bandanas, while others wore the black and blue beads known for the Crips street gang. The shooting of Pop Smoke enraged many gang members who were out for revenge, street sources said.
Members of the media have been receiving threats at the scene of some of the shootings, groups have been approaching camera operators and demanding they leave, saying “we don’t want you here.” Some have been threatened with violence.
The latest Brooklyn bullet battle began at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Some of the shooting victims had no gang ties and may have either been innocent bystanders or involved in unrelated shootings.
Here’s a summary of what transpired:
July 13, 4:30 p.m. – A 23-year-old man was shot in the right calf in front of 333 Bristol St. in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Paramedics brought the victim to Brookdale University Hospital for treatment. Cops were looking for the shooter, described as a black man wearing gray pants who fled inside a red SUV.
6:19-6:33 p.m. – Three drive-by shootings in Canarsie left six people injured. Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said a white, four-door sedan was seen at all three incidents. Police believe they located the vehicle abandoned on South Conduit Avenue after it was crashed into a tree.
8:40 p.m. – A 24-year-old man was shot in the foot while walking in front of 285 Cozine Ave. in East New York. Law enforcement agents determined that a white vehicle pulled up near the man, and a shooter inside opened fire. The vehicle then fled on Hendrix Street. Paramedics brought the victim to Brookdale Hospital. Detectives say the victim claims to have no knowledge of the person who shot him.
9:30 p.m. – A 20-year-old man was shot in front of 620 Miller Ave. in New Lots after becoming embroiled in a verbal dispute with several people seen inside a white sedan. Cops said one of the men inside the car began firing at the victim, striking him in the buttocks and sending others on the street running for cover. The victim was treated at Brookdale Hospital.
9:45 p.m.. – A man was shot in front of 272 Stanley Ave. in East New York in an apparent drive-by shooting. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police did not have information about a possible suspect.
11 p.m. – A 41-year-old man was shot in the left leg while walking at Newport and Bristol Streets in Brownsville. Police say the victim heard shots and then felt pain in his leg. He was taken to Brookdale Hospital for treatment. Police did not provide a description of the suspect. Bristol Street has been a particular hotspot for gun violence of late, according to police.
July 14, 3:54 a.m. – A 20-year-old man was shot in the right calf at the corner of Williams Avenue and Glenwood Road in front of the Breukelen Houses, a NYCHA development. Another man had been shot and killed near the location the previous morning. Police from the 69th Precinct and PSA2 were seeking a blue four-door vehicle with tinted glass.
In addition to these people shot, there were numerous other incidents of shots fired around the city including Canarsie, Bushwick, East New York, Bed-Stuy and Flatlands. Police believe those shootings either missed their mark or were “target practice.”
Monday’s bloody warfare followed a 15-hour shooting barrage in which another 15 people were shot in the city, including a 1-year-old infant in Brooklyn who was murdered. A memorial to that child will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at Madison Street & Marcus Garvey Boulevard, near where the child and three people were hit in the hail of gunfire.
Mayor Bill de Blasio visited the family’s home last night to pay respects.
