A man accused of opening fire on a Fourth of July barbecue in Coney Island, wounding eight people including four children, pleaded not guilty Friday.
Robert Smith, 44, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on charges including attempted murder in the first degree and ordered held without bail. He is due back in court on July 13.
Around 10:30 p.m. on July 4, about 20 people had gathered for a barbecue in an apartment courtyard near Surf Avenue and West 30th Street when a man opened fire on the crowd, according to a criminal complaint. Eight people were struck, among them a 6-year-old shot in the abdomen, a 7-year-old shot in both legs, a 12-year-old shot in the right knee and a 14-year-old shot in the thigh.
All eight are expected to survive, police said. A 21-year-old woman who was shot in the chest remained in critical condition Friday, while the other seven victims, including the four children, were in stable condition.
Prosecutors allege that surveillance video captured a man firing multiple times toward the courtyard before walking off toward Surf Avenue. The case against Smith rests in part on a witness who reviewed the footage and identified him as the gunman, according to the complaint. Smith was arrested early Wednesday at his home on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island, police said.
Along with attempted murder, Smith is charged with assault, criminal use of a firearm, weapons possession and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, court records show.
Smith's attorney declined to comment.
Police have said they were investigating whether the shooting was connected to a gang-related killing on the same block earlier that week. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said officers recovered a gun with an extended magazine and 10 shell casings at the scene.
