The chaotic violence that erupted outside the historic Stonewall Inn near the end of Pride Month was sparked when teen gang members mocked a dead rival — igniting a tragic chain of events that ended with a teenage girl accidentally shot in the head and critically wounded, the Daily News has learned.
Earlier this month cops arrested a 17-year-old boy, who is charged with attempted murder for the June 28 shooting in Sheridan Square when it was crowded with celebrants commemorating LGBTQ+ history. The violence started as a clash between rival gangs from New Jersey and Fort Greene, Brooklyn — with the New Jersey group “basically disrespecting someone from Fort Greene who had recently died,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny recently told The News.
A brawl broke out shortly after 10 p.m., during which a 16-year-old girl from the Fort Greene crew was punched in the face and another girl was stabbed in the chest, Kenny said. The 16-year-old girl pulled out a gun and fired at a rival gang member at near point-blank range, but missed and shot an “total innocent bystander” in the thighs, cops said at the time.
Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News
Police investigate the fatal shooting near the Stonewall Inn on June 30. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
As scores of people ran for cover, the shooter and her friends, including the 17-year-old boy, ran off. But moments later the teen boy turned and fired toward the rival group, according to cops. He let off four rounds, one of them unintentionally striking the 16-year-old shooter in the head, police said.
The boy — who is not being named because of his age — was “best friends” with the girl he accidentally shot, Kenny said.
He was arrested July 21 when cops chased him and the rest of the fleeing group into the subway. He initially got away but police used footage from their body cameras to identify him based on his clothing, Kenny said. They also tracked him based on his EBT card usage, according to Kenny.
The Gun Violence Suppression Division was initially out on another case but spotted the boy and, aware he was wanted for the shooting in Sheridan Square, arrested him, Kenny said.
The gun the critically wounded 16-year-old girl used — a defaced 9mm — was found laying on top of her after she was shot, Kenny said. The teen boy’s gun has still not been recovered. According to ballistics tests, both guns match shootings in Brownsville in which no one was injured, Kenny said.
The injured girl is still in critical condition, according to police.
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