Eight were injured during a family barbecue after a man dressed in black opened fire.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Police apprehended a gunman involved in a Coney Island mass shooting on July 4 that left four children and four adults injured.
Robert Smith, 44, was arrested in his home on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island on Wednesday. He is being charged with multiple counts of attempted murder.
According to police sources, Smith allegedly walked up to a fence at where a family was having a barbecue in the courtyard at 2929 W. 31st Street near Surf Avenue and began firing shots. Eight people, including four children, were hurt in the mayhem.
Officers from the 60th Precinct rushed to the scene after getting a 911 call about the incident.
When they arrived, officers found a 6-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, a 7-year-old boy with gunshot wounds to both legs, and a 12-year-old boy who had been shot in one leg. A 14-year-old boy was also injured when he was struck in the thigh.
A 21-year-old suffered a bullet wound to the chest, and a 25-year-old woman was hit in the leg. A 33-year-old man was also hit by gunfire in his chest, and a 37-year-old man was struck in the shoulder.
EMS rushed the eight victims to nearby hospitals. The 21-year-old woman was listed in critical condition; the others were in stable condition.
Police are still gathering information on the suspect, so it is not clear yet how they were able to track Smith down. However, detectives had a description of what the suspect was wearing at the time of the shooting, and a gun with an extended magazine was recovered at the scene, along with at least 10 shell casings.
The investigation remains ongoing as Smith remains in custody, pending arraignment.
