Two men accused of opening fire on a Fourth of July barbecue in Coney Island have been hit with 88 criminal charges after the attack wounded eight people — four of them children — and killed a puppy, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Robert Smith and Kevin Blunt, both 44, were indicted this month on a long list of charges, including attempted murder and assault, in connection with the burst of violence that shattered what had been a family holiday gathering.
“These defendants are allegedly responsible for unleashing a barrage of gunfire into a courtyard packed with families celebrating the Fourth of July,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.
Gonzalez said it was “extraordinary” that no one was killed, but stressed that the outcome “does not diminish the alleged recklessness and brutality of this attack.”
Blunt was arraigned on the indictment on Aug. 3, while Smith was arraigned Wednesday, according to prosecutors.
Authorities allege Smith tried to fire into the barbecue when his gun appeared to jam, and that Blunt then helped clear the weapon, enabling Smith to fire about 15 rounds into the crowd.
The gunfire struck eight relatives, prosecutors said, including four boys ages 6, 7, 12 and 14, along with four adults ages 21, 25, 33 and 37.
All of the victims were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
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The 21-year-old woman was initially reported in critical condition, while the other seven victims were stabilized.
The six-year-old boy’s 10-week-old puppy, named Sky, died after being shot in the head.
The day before Smith was rounded up by the US Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force on July 8, grandmother Carlene Pearsall made a desperate plea to Mayor Zohran Mamdani for justice at a vigil for the victims.
“They shot our babies,” Pearsall sobbed.
“This is senseless. Our kids did not deserve that. My son is laying in a hospital bed saying, ‘Mom, what did I do to deserve this?’ Son, you did absolutely nothing… It has to stop.”
Law enforcement sources previously noted the shooting may have been gang-related.
