TWO teenagers were shot near the historic Stonewall Inn on Sunday night as the celebrations for New York City Pride came to a close.
A spokesperson for the NYPD reported that a 16-year-old girl was shot in the head and is in critical condition, while a 17-year-old girl suffered a leg wound and is in stable condition.
The shooting happened in Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village just after 10 pm, near the historic bar.
The police said it’s unclear at this time if the incident was hate crime-related, but an investigation is ongoing.
New York Mayor Eric Adams wrote about the incident on X, saying that he was “saddened” when he heard about the shooting.
“During a time when our city should be rejoicing and celebrating members of our diverse LGBTQ+ community, incidents like this are devastating,” he wrote.
The Christopher Street Project, a hybrid PAC and nonprofit group that advocates for transgender rights, called the incident an act of violence.
“Tonight, we are holding the victims of the shooting outside the Stonewall Inn and their families in our hearts,” read a statement.
Vivian Lewis, a bystander, told NBC New York that she was “heartbroken” after first learning about the shooting.
“I saw medical workers scrummaging. I got sympathy adrenaline from watching that,” she said.
CHAOS IN THE PARK
A Pride celebration at nearby Washington Square Park descended into chaos after false reports of gunfire and the use of bear spray triggered a stampede.
More than 50 people were injured after the ruckus.
A shirtless man sprayed the potent chemicals in the park, burning several people’s eyes while rumors of gunfire resulted in thousands of people rushing out of the park, in fear of possible violence.
The man behind the bear spray attack was arrested by police at the park, said the NYPD.
It’s unclear how many people were injured in the stampede and who was injured due to the mace; however, officials said none of the injuries were life-threatening.
Police believe there were about 10,000 people in the park at the time, with many of them rushing through police barriers during the stampede.
The suspect apparently believed he was going to be jumped, a source told the New York Post, so he panicked and sprayed the bear mace in self-defense.
Meanwhile, as the celebration lingered at the park, many attendees had no clue what was happening.
Some thought they heard popping and immediately ran, thinking a gun had been fired.
“We all thought some fanatic with a gun was shooting people, so of course we all ran in whatever direction would get us out of the park the fastest,” Omari Loftin, a Washington Heights resident, told the outlet.
“But because there were thousands and thousands of people, you had all these barricades up preventing you from making the fastest escape.
“So we all had to file out in an organized fashion, which no one wanted to do because we were all scared.”
Loftin added that he saw several injured people, including some people flushing their eyes out and a man with blood running down the side of his head.
Other witnesses said the barricades added to the chaos as people were trying to flee.
“Everyone’s dancing, everyone’s partying, and then everyone’s screaming. My friends and I didn’t know what happened, but word going around was that there were gunshots,” said Isaiah Whitehurst.
“I didn’t hear gunshots, but when you hear the word ‘gunshots,’ that’s all you really need to get yourself the f**k out of there.”
During the stampede, people were tripping over themselves as cops tried to clear the park, however, the barricades were still up, and everyone kept pushing against them, Whitehurst added.
An investigation into the bear spray attack is underway.
