In a troubling incident on Monday afternoon in the Bronx, two innocent bystanders, including a 1-year-old girl, were injured during a shooting that took place in broad daylight, according to police reports.
The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. in front of 726 Courtlandt Ave. in the Melrose neighborhood, where a 32-year-old man was hit in the ankle, as stated by the NYPD.
In addition to the injuries, a parked 2023 Honda Civic, occupied by a teenage girl and a baby, was also struck by a bullet fragment, which shattered a window in the vehicle, authorities noted.
The 16-year-old girl was unharmed, but the glass shards injured the 1-year-old, who is related to her, causing minor injuries, officials said.
Emergency services quickly arrived and transported both victims to Lincoln Hospital, where they are currently reported to be in stable condition.
Sources indicate that neither of the bystanders was the intended target of the gunfire.
Surveillance footage from the area shows a figure dressed in black walking down the block with their hand in their pocket, just in front of the Honda. The individual then pulls out a gun and appears to fire at someone off-camera across the street.
While it’s uncertain whether this shooter caused the damage to the Honda’s window, the footage shows him leaving the scene shortly after the shots were fired.
In the final moments of the video, a man is seen exiting a nearby building to check on the people in the Honda Civic before hurrying them inside.
Just Moore, a nearby resident, shared that he was returning home from grocery shopping with his 11-month-old when he came upon the aftermath of the shooting. “It’s precisely this kind of thing that makes me not wear headphones while I’m with her,” he reflected. “You really need to stay alert to what’s happening around you.”
Moore expressed his surprise about the shooting happening in his own neighborhood, although he acknowledged that violence is not uncommon in the Bronx. “It’s a dangerous situation in a relatively quiet area at a time when things are usually calm,” he added.
Another local, David Valentin, reported hearing eight to ten gunshots while he was watching TV. “I thought, ‘That sounds like gunfire, but it’s school time,’” he said, describing the shooting as “crazy.”
“Whoever did that needs to be caught and taken off the streets because that’s a threat to everyone,” he added.
Law enforcement confirmed that the teenager and the infant were not acquainted with the man who was shot. As of now, no arrests have been made, and the investigation continues.
