A 12-year-old boy was inside a sneaker store with his father last night when a violent confrontation erupted between a Rugged Sole employee and another man. According to the store's owner, surveillance video shows the employee, apparently a security worker, pulling out a gun after an armed man showed his gun. Sang Han told the Daily News, "They both had guns and the boy got caught in the crossfire. The kid was just an innocent bystander."
A 34-year-old man was also wounded in the 7:30 p.m. shooting. While the Post describes him as one of the armed men ("The guard blasted [the boy] in the leg and shot his target in the arm"), WCBS 2 and NBC New York say that the 34-year-old man was another unintended target.
A witness told the News, "I heard four shots. I turned around and saw a little boy. He was trying to get up, but couldn’t. He had blood all over his waist and thighs." The police tell us that both victims are in stable condition.
The News adds that the other man, whom Han described as a regular ("We know him, he comes ten times a day — he’s a young guy with a hot temper"), fled the scene while the guard—identified as Kenneth Meeks—may have been taken in for police questioning. There are many conflicting reports: Police just told us that no arrests have been made, but WABC 7 reports, "a 45-year-old man has been charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment"; NBC New York reports that the alleged gunman, who is still at large, is around 21 years old.
The owner of a nearby beauty salon told DNAinfo, "A lady came by and told us to close the door. This happens a lot. Last year, there were three of them." Save Our Streets Crown Heights, a group formed to end gun violence in the neighborhood, had just celebrated an "Art to End Violence" festival this past weekend.
