7-year-old girl hit by stray bullet in NYC's Harlem neighborhood shooting, police say
NEW YORK -- A 7-year-old girl was the victim of a stray-bullet shooting in Harlem on Monday afternoon, police said.
The gunfire erupted just before 3 p.m. outside 301 W. 145th St., at Bradhurst Avenue. Two men fired at least nine shots and the little girl, an innocent bystander, was struck once in the abdomen while walking on a sidewalk in front of a Starbucks, police said. No other injuries were reported.
A witness told CBS News New York's Lori Bordonaro a relative of the little girl was hysterical.
"He was just saying he wished it was him, that he was shot. 'I wish they could have killed me,'" Angel Casanova said.
Officers rushed the child to Harlem Hospital, where she underwent surgery. She is expected to make a full recovery.
"They were distraught, very upset," community leader Dr. Iiesha Sekou said. "She's out of surgery. She's stabilized. It's not a perfect situation, but she's doing well ... to have endured the kind of trauma to a body that a bullet brings to a child."
2 men taken into custody
Police said two men, 19-year-old Daniel Idowu and a 17-year-old, were taken in for questioning, and one was armed with a gun. They were both charged with attempted murder, and the older suspect was also charged with four counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Investigators said two groups were firing at each other and they believe the shooting was gang related.
"It is never a good thing when a child is a victim of a shooting," Mayor Eric Adams said. "It's never a good thing when any innocent bystander is a victim. But, again, I really want to commend the quick response from the 30th and 32nd precincts."
That section of Harlem, the 32nd Precinct, has seen a 27% decrease in shootings compared to the same time last year.
Video shows a chaotic scene
Frightening video captured by a mom and her 6-year-old daughter inside the Starbucks showed customers scrambling for cover.
"Immediately, we heard gunshots. We all dived," witness Naja Walker said.
Walker and her daughter, Faith, were on the other side of coffee house's shattered glass.
"Had it not been for this garbage can, who know what would have happened?" Walker said.
"I was sad another little girl was shot," Faith said.
Neighbors angered by the gun violence
Those who live in the area described what they saw and heard, and reflected on the senseless shooting.
"I was walking my dog and I heard it and just see people running everywhere and when I see people running, I thought it was firecrackers," witness Bidal Guzman said.
"It's pretty sad when a kid gets shot," Paul Eliacin said. "There was a little pink scooter on floor, so real sad."
CBS News New York spoke to a woman who knows the little girl's family.
"I saw the child going out with the father, running errands in the morning, so when I heard what happened, I was truly ... getting emotional now ... I was devastated to see and hear a child who doesn't bother anyone, something like this could happen to them just riding a scooter. It's crazy," said Monique Reese, the tenants association president at the Malcolm X Apartments.