1 killed, 4 hurt in Coney Island boardwalk shooting
NEW YORK -- Gunfire erupted on the Coney Island boardwalk late Saturday night, leaving one person dead and four more hurt.
It was the second shooting to injure at least five people on the boardwalk this summer. The first happened in July, CBS2's Christina Fan reported Sunday.
The iconic Coney Island boardwalk turned into a grisly murder scene as police with flashlights searched under benches and through the parking lot for shell casings.
"Fridays, they have fireworks in Coney Island. I thought maybe there's some private fireworks happening. It was like seven shots, one after another. It was very quick," one person said.
People who live in nearby apartments said the rapid gunfire jolted them awake.
"I listened. It went pow, pow, pow," one person said. "I hear somebody from the window asking, 'Are you OK?'"
Police and paramedics responded to boardwalk and West 29th Street just before midnight and rushed five victims to NYU Langone Hospital.
A 42-year-old man was shot in the back and pronounced dead at the hospital. A 49-year-old woman was shot in the leg, a 34-year-old woman was shot in the foot and two other men were shot in the leg, police said.
Police who live near the beach said the area is growing more and more unsettled.
On July 10, a shooting near the amphitheater and West 21st Street left five people hurt, including a 31-year-old man critically.
"Sometimes, 3 o'clock we can't sleep because there is loud music, fighting, girls, boys," said Ana Rojas.
"Yeah that's kind of disturbing, especially since they've said they are trying to clean it up a bit recently," another person said.
There are many unanswered questions, according to police, including if the victims were targeted and what led to the confrontation.
"It's very sad and it's very crazy to think and to know that you've been literally several blocks away from the place where people have been shot. This is very unsettling," another person said.
So far, no arrests have been made.