3 men shot at 2 a.m. on playground as 7-year-old watched
NEW YORK -- Police are searching for two suspects wanted in an attempted robbery that ended with a shooting inside a Manhattan playground.
The incident left three people hurt, one of whom is paralyzed, and also endangered a 7-year-old child.
It happened just after 2 a.m. on June 25, inside the playground at the NYCHA George Washington Carver Houses on East 104th Street in East Harlem.
Authorities say the two suspects approached a group of approximately nine males -- including a 7-year-old boy -- produced firearms and demanded personal property.
When the victims refused to hand over their belongings, police say the suspects began firing into the crowd before fleeing on foot empty handed.
Three people were struck by the gunfire, including two 19-year-old men who were transported in stable condition to St. Luke's Hospital. The third, a 20-year-old man, walked to Mt. Sinai Hospital.
One of the 19-year-olds is paralyzed as a result of the shooting.
"I think it's disgusting, I really think that it's disgusting," one housing complex resident said. "We have to think about the kids that are here. Forget about the adults so much, it's the kids. God forbid a kid gets hit. What are we going to keep seeing newspapers and news reports of kids getting shot? I don't want to hear that. I don't even want to see that."
The suspects are described as black males. One is approximately 6-foot-3 with a slim build, who was last seen wearing an orange shirt. The second is about 5-foot-8 with a slim build. He was wearing a brown shirt.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
