Two Women Shot In Flatbush, Gunman Sought
FLATBUSH – Two women were wounded in Flatbush Monday night after a gunman opened fire, hitting one woman in the leg and the other in the arm, police said.
Police believe the women were innocent bystanders when they were shot by a man who was in a dispute with a group of men on East 21st Street.
The shooting occurred at 5:48 p.m. when police say two men were arguing on East 21st Street near Ditmas Avenue. Officials say one of the men began shooting at the other, discharging three rounds. Spent shells were found in front of 550 East 21st Street.
Police from the 70th Precinct found two victims, one a 26-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her right arm. The second victim, also a 26-year-old woman, was found on Ocean Avenue with a gun shot wound to her right leg. Both women had run from the shooting scene in an attempt to flee the melee.
Both were taken to Kings County Hospital and reported in stable condition.
The shooting suspect is described as a black male, 17- to 21-years-old, with a dark complexion, thin build, and short dark hair. He was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, black hoodie, grey shorts with a horizontal blue stripe, and black sneakers.
Neighbors and residents were shocked by the random shooting, but not surprised. One resident referred to another recent shooting that occurred a block away where a man and woman were shot to death on the early morning of J’Ouvert. That woman was an innocent bystander heading to the parade.
“Why do they have to shoot each other? And then people who are not even involved are getting killed,” said one woman who did not want to give her name. “This whole area is crazy and there are too many people that have guns. They don’t know how to settle their grievances without shooting each other.”
Another resident who wouldn’t give his name said, “This is how they settle their beefs. This goes on here all the time.”
One woman exiting 550 East 21st Street maneuvered her bicycle around the spent shells on the ground, being safeguarded by police.
“It’s just the way it is around here,” she said. “I live here and I just live with it. I don’t have time to be scared.”
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
