A Weekend Of Crime: Neighbor Shot And Killed On Flatbush; Toddler Hit By Bullet On Rugby; Armed Robbery At E. 16th Street & Ditmas Avenue

Updated Tuesday, 2:29pm: The 70th Precinct let us know that Sunday’s armed robbery on E. 16th Street, between Ditmas and Newkirk Avenues, involved two men who were wearing ski masks. Police said the men approached a 22-year-old man on the sidewalk, and one individual produced a firearm while the other showed a knife. The two made off with the victim’s Apple iPhone and credit cards, according to the NYPD. No arrests have been made yet.

Original post: It was an overwhelmingly sad weekend in our area, with a neighbor being killed on Flatbush Avenue, a toddler being shot on Rugby Road, and an armed robbery happening around E. 18th Street and Ditmas Avenue.

Neighbor Donel Andrew, 18, was shot and killed at 952 Flatbush Avenue, by Snyder Avenue, Saturday, the same day that a toddler was shot in the leg after gunfire erupted around 625 Rugby Road, between Foster and Newkirk Avenues, the NYPD said. Then, on Sunday, there was a report of two men committing an armed robbery at E. 18th Street and Ditmas Avenue.

Police said they responded to 952 Flatbush Avenue, located across the street from the McDonald’s where a group of teens recently viciously attacked a girl, just before 4pm Saturday afternoon. There, the officers found Andrew, who lived on Albemarle Road between E. 21st Street and Flatbush Avenue, laying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his torso, the NYPD said. Emergency responders rushed the teenager to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

No arrests have been made, and police said they are looking for the three men pictured above for questioning.

Anyone with information in regards to Andrew’s death is asked to call the NYPD’s crime stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the crime stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.

That same afternoon, a toddler, who will turn two years old in May, was shot while she and her mother were walking to a relative’s house on Rugby Road, near Foster Avenue, the Daily News reported.

Someone opened fire around 3:45pm Saturday afternoon, and the bullet “missed its intended target” and instead hit the toddler’s leg, “sending her sprawling onto the concrete,” the Daily News wrote.

The little girl’s father, a cab driver, chased the gunman, as well as others who were with the shooter, but did not catch up with them, the man told the Daily News.

“I totally lost it,” Akbar Hossain told the Daily News. “I tried to chase them, but they were running too fast.”

The toddler was brought to Kings County Hospital, and she was treated and released, police said.

The NYPD told us that there is an ongoing investigation into the shooting but would not say how many suspects they are looking for. According to the Daily News, the gunman and two other suspects remain at large.

We also received information that two men committed a robbery at gunpoint at E. 18th Street (which turned out to actually be E. 16th Street) and Ditmas Avenue Sunday night and are waiting on more information about that. Numerous neighbors took to social media about the NYPD helicopters that were hovering over our area last night following the crime.

Others spoke about the sadness and fear stemming from the crimes this weekend.

As soon as we hear anything more, we will update you. And if you know anything about last night’s robbery, or the other crimes, you can email us at editor@ditmasparkcorner.com.

Our thoughts go out to the victims and their family and friends.