Two Teen Girls Shot In West Village After NYC Pride March
The shooting occurred just after 10 p.m. in Sheridan Square, leaving one girl in critical condition.
Two teenagers were shot Sunday night in the West Village, just hours after the New York City Pride March passed through the area. The shooting happened around 10:15 p.m. in Sheridan Square, a gathering spot that had been filled with Pride celebrations earlier in the day.
A 16-year-old girl was shot in the head and remains in critical condition. A 17-year-old girl was shot in the leg and is in stable condition, according to police. No arrests have been made. A gun was recovered at the scene, but police have not commented on a motive or if it was related to Pride events. The girls’ names have not been released.
The march and surrounding events had gone off largely without incident, with crowds celebrating peacefully in the streets well into the evening.
“This area has been packed with people all day, and we were getting ready to party through the night. Then, all of a sudden, ‘boom boom, boom,’ everyone’s ducking and running for cover and screaming. It was pandemonium,” one bystander told the New York Post.
The location of the shooting, less than a block from the Stonewall Inn and The Monster, struck a nerve for many in the community. The area is not only a historic site but also the symbolic center of queer liberation in the United States.
Douglas Breland, a bouncer at Barrow Street Alehouse nearby, said his night started off quiet. He had texted his mother a photo of the nearly empty bar around 9:48 p.m., saying things were slow. He stepped outside to take a video of the calm street.
He told the New York Times he heard what sounded like fireworks at first. What followed was a flurry of screams and sirens. Parade-goers ran down the block as officers ordered people to clear the area. Later that night, bullet casings were still visible near a manhole cover as detectives examined the crime scene.
Late Sunday night, Mayor Eric Adams wrote on X: “Saddened to learn about the shooting by the Stonewall Inn tonight as Pride celebrations were winding down. During a time when our city should be rejoicing and celebrating members of our diverse LGBTQ+ community, incidents like this are devastating. We’re praying for the speedy recovery of the victims. The NYPD will work quickly and tirelessly to bring the suspects to justice.”
A spokesperson for the Christopher Street Project, a nonprofit focused on trans political representation, shared a statement: “As we await more information, we emphasise what we know to be true: those spewing violent rhetoric against queer and trans people must be held accountable for the climate of hate they help create.”
As of Monday morning, police had not identified a suspect or announced a motive. Sheridan Square was mostly empty, except for officers keeping people away from the taped-off area.
