Police Investigating Possible Connection Between 2 Queens Shootings Involving Teens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A teenage girl was shot in the shoulder outside a school in Queens on Monday, and police believe the incident may be connected to a fatal shooting of another teenager in the area over the weekend.
The 16-year-old girl is recovering at the hospital. Police do not believe she was the intended target. Rather, sources tell us the bullet was meant for a potential witness in another shooting two miles away.
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Investigators searched for clues outside New Dawn Charter High School on 161st Street in Jamaica. Police say a fight broke out on the street around 4 p.m., quickly followed by gunshots.
"When the two shots rang out, I ran out of my office and saw everybody running all over the place. That's what I heard. Then one of the kids from the school here ran back this way, and then called the dean and called the teachers and they ran up like, 'Yo, there's a girl shot here, a girl shot,'" witness Edward Smith told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
The teen was shot once in her left shoulder, and the gunman reportedly ran away.
"The girl was on the ground screaming. She was crying, 'I got shot, I got shot,'" Smith said.
Police sources tell CBS2 the intended target is a student at the nearby school and was also present at a deadly shooting Saturday at the Baisley Park Houses, where 14-year-old Aamir Griffin was killed by a stray bullet while playing basketball.
Police released video of two individuals they are looking to question about Saturday's shooting.
At this point, it's unclear who the intended target was in Saturday's shooting. Sources tell CBS2 police are talking to witnesses and comparing evidence to determine if the same gun was used in both crimes.
