12-year-old girl shot multiple times in suspected Bronx gang crossfire—no arrests made

A 12-year-old girl was caught in the crossfire of what is believed to be a possible gang shooting. Authorities do not believe that she was the intended target of the shooting after she was hit multiple times in New York City. 

The child was hit by the bullets in the stomach and right foot while she was in front of a building on Tratman Avenue between Rowland Street and St. Peters Avenue in Westchester Square in the Bronx. The shooting took place at around 8:30 pm on Monday, police said.

A gun was recovered at the scene and the young girl was taken to Montefiore Hospital for treatment, where she is in serious but stable condition, the New York Post reported. The girl said that she heard people shouting, "Ewok! Ewok!" before the gunfire went off. A source told the outlet that the term is associated with the Makk Ballas, or Mac Ballers, a gang affiliated with the Bloods.

The girl was picked up and taken to the hospital by a bystander who was driving past the scene when the shooting took place. The firearm that was recovered was a .9mm handgun and had an attached flashlight. There were seven shell casings recovered at the scene of the shooting.

Police have not arrested any suspects in the incident so far and the investigation is ongoing. The incident takes place in the Big Apple as many have been apprehensive about leadership on crime from socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has supported the “defund the police” movement in past comments.

Elsewhere in the city over the weekend, two Amazon workers were shot late on Sunday night in Brooklyn outside the Amazon fulfillment center on Bay Street. One 25-year-old woman was shot in the chest and a 23-year-old man was shot in the shoulder. Both survived the shooting and are in stable condition.