According to police, six people were shot near a park in the Bronx on Wednesday evening, one of the worst shootings New York City has seen so far this year.
According to NYPD officers who spoke at a press conference several hours after the incident, around 8:15 p.m., two men rode a moped into St. James Park in Fordham, parked it and approached another group of men who were standing under scaffolding at the corner of East 191st Street and Morris Avenue.
According to Benjamin Gurley, NYPD deputy chief of police and commanding officer of the Bronx borough patrol, they shot at the group nine times, hitting six people.
The victims, all men in their 20s and 30s, suffered a variety of injuries: One was shot in the stomach, another in the right hand, another in the groin, another in the right leg, another in the torso and another in the right arm, Gurley said.
Some were reportedly operated on overnight and all were expected to survive, police said.
Gurley said two victims were still at the scene when police arrived, two others fled in a car and met emergency responders on the street, and two others walked to two different hospitals, one in Queens.
Gurley said police have not yet determined a motive for the incident. The incident occurred less than two miles north of the Mt. Eden subway station, where six people were shot – one fatally – after an argument on a Line 4 train in February.
The New York Police Department and U.S. Marshals arrested a 16-year-old boy a few days after the shooting. Two other teenagers, ages 14 and 15, were arrested more than a month later.
Gothamist’s map of New York Police Department shooting data shows that St. James Park has been relatively quiet over the past four years, with only one reported shooting incident.
Michael Mendez, 34, was shot about two blocks south on April 23 as he and his brother tried to confront someone who had robbed them earlier that day.
Even as shootings continue to decline citywide, NYPD Compstat data shows the number of incidents has increased this year in the 52nd Precinct, which includes Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Norwood, Bronx Park and University Heights. A total of 13 shootings have been reported in the precinct so far this year, compared to 10 during the same period last year.
Wednesday’s shooting is not yet included in the data.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
