NYPD manhunt underway after 12-year-old girl is shot twice in the Bronx
A manhunt is underway in the Bronx for a suspect in the shooting of a 12-year-old girl late Monday night.
Surveillance video from a neighbor's house appears to show gunshot flashes as the violence erupted.
A police source said the girl was walking alone in The Pearly Gates park on Tratman Avenue in the Westchester Square section of the borough at around 8:30 p.m., when she was shot in the stomach and foot.
The girl managed to get help from some nearby adults and was rushed to Montefiore Hospital in a private vehicle. Police said she was stable Tuesday morning, and was likely not the intended target.
The victim's family spoke with CBS News New York on Tuesday night, describing the moment they received a call from the victim saying she had been shot.
"I was so shocked. That's not something you ever expect to get a call about," said Miral Alamouri, the victim's sister.
The family said the girl is recovering and improving, but she is still speaking very little because of her injuries.
"I'm going to be with her every step of the way, whatever she needs," Alamouri said.
Her family said she has already undergone surgery to remove a bullet from her stomach and is expected to have a second surgery to repair her shattered foot.
A police source said witnesses saw the shooters and described them as two teenagers, wearing all black. Surveillance video appears to show them running from the scene.
Crime scene investigators found seven shell casings on the ground after the shooting, but so far no arrests have been made.
By early afternoon on Tuesday, the park was reopened and visitors were just learning of the tragic shooting.
"It's not safe. You have to always watch over your shoulder," park visitor Sabina Harwoon said.
"It's heartbreaking for me to hear that someone so young got [shot]. I guess it was a stray bullet, so she was there at the wrong time," Farzana Baksh added.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
