Shots Fired Near Gang Graffitied Gravesend Block

Graffiti found near Avenue X and East 2nd Street on June 16. (Photo by Bensonhurst Bean)

Police recovered a pistol and spent shell casings early Friday morning after gunshots were reported in a quiet part of Gravesend defaced earlier this month by gang graffiti.

Officers from the local precinct and the special operations division canvassed the area around Avenue X and East 1st Street after a woman reported shots fired around 1am. Officers found a .32-caliber revolver, four shell casings, two bullet cartridges, and a fired round near the intersection, according to the NYPD.

There were no injuries reported and police are investigating.

As we previously reported, neighbors woke up two weeks ago to find cars and houses spray painted with gang graffiti near East 2nd Street and Avenue X. The blue scrawlings identified several known gangs, including the California-based Sureños — one of the fastest growing crime rings in America.

Neighbors told us police seemed to shrug off their complaints after the graffiti was discovered and that officers did not respond to their phone calls. In response to our inquiry, the local station house took a police report and vowed to investigate the graffiti.

City Councilman Mark Treyger has responded to reports of the graffiti by calling for NYPD anti-gang resources to be committed to the area.“This is a neighborhood full of hard-working families who should never have to wake up and find that their property, whether it be their homes or their cars, or the streets they call home have been defaced with hateful language referencing criminal organizations or anything else,” he said in a statement. “I am calling on the NYPD to immediately commit anti-gang resources to stop this before it goes any further.”