Robert Smith, a 44-year-old, was identified as the masked gunman responsible for the at a family’s Fourth of July barbecue party in Coney Island, , on Saturday. Eight people were injured in the incident.
The New York Police Department confirmed Robert Smith’s identity on Wednesday, July 8 noting that he faces multiple counts of attempt to murder charges, the in a post on X.
As of now, the motive of the shooting remains unclear as the NYPD has not revealed any additional details regarding the circumstances of the shooting.
The NYPD had said earlier that there was no exchange of words between Robert Smith and the family that fell victim to the mass shooting. It is also unclear if they knew each other.
The NYPD said that they are investigating a possible gang connection with a possibility that a shooting that took place on the same block last week. But no link has been confirmed, so far.
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Coney Island Mass Shooting: Here’s What Happened Saturday
A family in NYC’s Coney Island was celebrating the Fourth of July weekend with a barbecue party in their courtyard when the suspect, Robert Smith, barged in. Smith was wearing a ski mask and he walked up to the fence of the courtyard, which lies on Surf Avenue, and opened fire around 10:40pm. It left eight people at the barbecue injured, including critical injuries to a 21-year-old woman was shot in the chest.
Additionally, a 47‑year‑old man, a 33‑year‑old man and a 25‑year‑old woman were among the other adult . Apart from that, four children, a 14‑year‑old boy, a 12‑year‑old boy, a 7‑year‑old boy and a 6‑year‑old boy. Everyone except the critically injured 21-year-old woman is in stable condition, even though the impact of the injuries could be long-term.
Following the shooting, Smith allegedly fled on foot southbound on West 30th Street.
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Injured Grandma Pleads With Mamdani
The arrest comes after the family’s grandmother issued an appeal at a press conference with NYC Mayor on Tuesday. Carlene Pearsall, who is also among the injured, talked at length about the immediate impact of the shooting on the family.
“Everybody that was shot was my blood family,” she said. “Everybody. It’s one family. It’s not multiple families. It’s one family. It’s one entire family. This doesn’t make any sense.
“They shot our babies,” she continued. “This is senseless. Our kids did not deserve that. My son is laying in a hospital bed saying, ‘Mom, what did I do to deserve this?’ Son, you did absolutely nothing. It’s babies. It has to stop. It has to stop.”
