Brooklyn Mass Shooting on Fourth of July Wounds Eight Family Members

A masked gunman opened fire on a family barbecue in Coney Island on Independence Day, injuring eight relatives including four children, police say.

Brooklyn Mass Shooting on Fourth of July Wounds Eight Family Members

A masked shooter opened fire on a family barbecue in Brooklyn's Coney Island neighborhood during Independence Day celebrations, leaving eight relatives wounded — including four minors — as the attacker remains at large.

The barrage erupted while the family gathered to grill and watch fireworks, according to the New York Post. Among the injured were a 6-year-old boy struck in the abdomen, a 14-year-old boy, and two nephews aged 7 and 12, all hit in their lower limbs. Also wounded were two nieces, 21 and 25, and two cousins, 33 and 37.

Carlene Pearsall, the family matriarch who herself sustained injuries in the assault, confronted Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a vigil for the victims. The grandmother interrupted the mayor when he referred to "the families" affected by the violence.

"Everybody that was shot was my blood family," Pearsall declared, the Post reported. "Everybody. It's one family. It's not multiple families — it's one family. It's one entire family. This doesn't make any sense."

She continued tearfully: "They shot our babies. 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."

Pearsall also expressed concern for her grandson's emotional state. "My grandson won't eat," she said. "He never deserved that. None of us did."

Mamdani had attended the anti-gun violence gathering near the shooting scene before the grieving grandmother spoke out.

Law enforcement has not yet identified or apprehended the shooter. The investigation remains active.

The incident marks another episode of holiday gun violence in New York City, where community leaders have repeatedly called for stronger measures to address firearm-related assaults in public spaces.

Source: NY Post Metro