Two men have been indicted on 88 charges in connection with a July 4th mass shooting at a Coney Island barbecue that injured eight people and killed a puppy, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday.
Robert Smith and Kevin Blunt, both 44, face charges that include attempted murder and assault. Prosecutors allege that Smith fired approximately 15 shots into a crowd of families celebrating the holiday. The indictment states that Blunt assisted Smith in clearing his jammed weapon, enabling the shooting to continue.
Of the eight victims injured, four are minors—boys aged six, seven, 12, and 14—and four are adults aged 21, 25, 33, and 37. All victims were taken to local hospitals. The 21-year-old woman was initially in critical condition, while the other seven victims were stabilized.
The puppy, a 10-week-old named Sky, belonged to the six-year-old boy and died after being shot in the head.
“These defendants are allegedly responsible for unleashing a barrage of gunfire into a courtyard packed with families celebrating the Fourth of July,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “The fact that no person was killed is extraordinary, but it does not diminish the alleged recklessness and brutality of this attack.”
Blunt was arraigned on the indictment on August 3, and Smith was arraigned on Wednesday. Law enforcement sources have indicated that the shooting may have been gang-related.
