A 14-year-old boy sustained a gunshot wound to the leg near Rufus King Park in Queens on Sunday evening. The New York Police Department reported the incident occurred around 4:50 p.m. at the corner of 153rd Street and Jamaica Avenue, close to a children's playground.
The shooter, described as wearing all black, fled the scene on foot, according to authorities. Emergency medical services transported the injured teenager to Jamaica Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots. One neighbor, Abdulahead Erragi, stated he was home when the shots rang out and that he saw a group of teens leaving the park afterward, describing the scene as one with a lot of drug use and smoking. Another individual, Amber Logan, was in the park at the time and heard what she described as “a big bang, or a couple of bangs,” prompting her to think there was danger. Logan expressed concern about the safety of the park and indicated she might seek other places to spend her time.
It remains unclear what prompted the shooting or if the injured teen was the intended target. The NYPD has stated that there have been no arrests and that an investigation is ongoing.