A 16-year-old boy was shot in Rufus King Park in Jamaica on Monday afternoon, leading police from the 103rd Precinct to detain six persons of interest in connection with the incident.
However, none have been charged yet in the shooting incident, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation. The youngster was inside the park near 153rd Street and 90th Avenue at around 4 p.m. when a gunman opened fire, striking him once in the leg.
“There were people running everywhere, we weren’t sure what was happening and then we saw the EMTs show up,” Jamaica resident Erica Rodriguez said. “The kid was bleeding, but the paramedics were working on him for a while.”
EMS rushed the victim to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition, police said.
Officers and a K-9 unit from the 103rd Precinct flooded the park and took six people into custody for questioning. Two firearms were recovered from the persons of interest, according to the law enforcement source.
“This is the second shooting that I know of in this park,” a teenager who witnessed the shooting said, wishing to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution.
“We need [a] better public safety presence here,” she said. “It is scary that people are shooting so recklessly. It is sad.”
No one has been charged in the shooting incident and the investigation remains ongoing, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
Anyone with information regarding this shooting 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 Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through June 9, the 103rd Precinct has reported 10 shooting incidents that wounded 13 victims so far in 2024, not including the 16-year-old boy who was shot Monday. The 10 shooting incidents doubled the 5 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 100%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
