Woman Shot In Brooklyn Believed To Be Innocent Bystander
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A woman is recovering in the hospital after police say she was caught in the crossfire Wednesday afternoon, an innocent bystander shot once in the back in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn.
Police say the victim was struck around 4:30 pm in front of 1419 Myrtle Avenue. She was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst where she's currently stable.
The shooting happened just a block from the 83rd precinct stationhouse and across the street from PS 376. The sudden violence shattered the Wednesday afternoon routine along Myrtle Avenue, underneath the M train tracks.
"It was about the time that most folks around here are getting off work," Bushwick resident Dillon Corbett said. "It was a little crowded, there were some kids at the park playing basketball."
Police say they're looking for two men who fled the scene on bicycles and a third who fled in a vehicle.
Surveillance video from the scene shows one young man running down the sidewalk, apparently fleeing the danger. The victim -- clad in a purple coat -- remained on her feet despite being hit by a bullet in the back. She stood outside a restaurant long enough to leave a pool of blood on the sidewalk.
Eventually, the unidentified victim walked down the block to a doctor's office where an ambulance took her to the hospital.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reports, this was only the second shooting incident in the 83rd precinct this year. Still, residents say they're rattled.
"It's surprising with a precinct right down the block," Daisy Baptists said. "You'd think you'd be safe in an area with a precinct right down the block."
Police collected ballistic evidence at the scene and are searching for surveillance video that might show the gunmen who remain on the run Wednesday night.
