CBS2 Exclusive: Video Shows Yonkers Fight That Left 4-Year-Old Girl Wounded By Stray Bullet
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Police were looking to make arrests Thursday after a 4-year-old girl was struck by a stray bullet in Yonkers.
CBS2's Lou Young obtained exclusive video of a crowded sidewalk when suddenly, shots were fired.
The video obtained by CBS2 shows three young men in white T-shirts approaching Willow Street in Yonkers from the west. It was a hot midday on Saturday, July 16.
At first, the street was quiet, with a woman, a man, and another group of three teens passing by. But then, the first trio of teens in white shirts approaches and then it happens – a gun is drawn, and shots are fired at scattering targets.
"There was an 18-month-old child here, and that's a wanton disregard for human life," said Yonkers police Chief Timothy Hodges.
One of the intended targets was grazed, but a bystander -- a 4-year-old girl -- was hit.
She was seen on video crossing the street with her mother, and as the gunman swung around, a bullet hit her in the leg. She survived.
A woman who was in the middle of the attack with the toddler can be seen breaking down after the teens run off.
"She was extremely upset. She had heart palpitations, and I don't blame her," Chief Hodges said. "The people that were responsible for this -- they're young kids. That's the real problem, and that's for another issue, but we have to get to the bottom of why these people are doing these things."
But safety comes first, and Yonkers has stepped up patrols in what they call the tree streets – among them Maple, Willow and Elm streets.
People have noticed.
"Cops like snooping around and everything," said one boy, Jose Rivera.
Police will go on patrolling the area intensely.
"We're going to flood this area with uniformed police," Chief Hodges said.
Coming up on two weeks since the shooting, there was progress. Police sources indicated that arrests are imminent, and the images obtained by CBS2 were not the only ones.
"We have tons of video. We have hours and hours of video," Chief Hodges said. "We know where these people came from; where they emanated from, and we know where they ran to."
In an age of surveillance, the suspects were lucky they were not being sought for murder – with one child struck and one frighteningly close to the gunfire.
Possible charges in the case will include attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and criminal possession of a weapon.
