Two Teenagers Shot Near School in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Two teenagers were shot a few blocks away from school on Monday, February 6th in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The victims of the shooting were a 19 year-old man, who was grazed in the head, and a 17 year-old girl who was struck in the stomach. Both victims of the shooting were hospitalized at Kings County Hospital Center where they were reported to be in stable condition and expected to survive. 

The shooting took place near 200 Maujer Street around 3 p.m. According to witnesses, a huge brawl took place an hour before the shooting. It is alleged that over 20 people were involved in the brawl, with several of them coming from East Williamsburg Scholars Academy, a school nearby. 

A person wearing a black ski mask, dressed in red and black, is alleged to have shot the victims an hour after the brawl. The gunman had not been arrested at the time of writing. 

The site of the shooting was a block away from the shooting victims’ school campus, which is shared by East Williamsburg Scholars Academy and Progressive High School for Professional Careers.

Recurring Teen Violence

Violence amongst teenagers has become a recurring issue in New York City. Everyone, from parents to teachers, is feeling the effects of the continuous violence. Mona Davids, one of the founders of the NYC School Safety Coalition, has repeatedly spoken out against the violence, asking the powers that be for effective solutions. Davids has called for the deployment of more police officers near schools. 

“Our question is how many more children need to be stabbed, shot, killed, assaulted before this city council and our mayor take action and hire more School Safety Agents and provide safety corridors,” Davids said. “Which is the parent who has to get the call [saying], ‘Your child’s not coming home from school?’” Davids lamented how the situation with violence was not getting better.

One of the witnesses who saw the fight before the shooting was a 60-year-old man named Marquis. According to the NY Post, Marquis heard four to six gunshots while he was in his house. The violence in the area had left him surprised. “Same as every other citizen in New York does, I pray it’s not me or my family,” he said. “When you walk outside, you pray that nobody does nothing to you, whether you on the subway, coming out of an Uber coming, [or] out of a restaurant. There’s no safe havens.”