Police said the shooting broke out after a dispute between two groups of teens inside a shoe store. NBC New York’s Checkey Beckford reports.
Police rushed to Kings Plaza Shopping Center in Brooklyn midday Monday for reports of a shooting inside the mall.
Two teenagers, 14 and 16, suffered leg injuries following a shooting at a shoe store inside the shopping center, police officials said at a press conference Monday evening.
Responding officers found the younger victim around 2:30 p.m. across the street from the mall with a gunshot wound to his leg, police said. He was aided by police and transported to a nearby hospital where he was last listed in stable condition.
Police found the second victim, the 16-year-old, with a leg wound after being grazed by a bullet, according to the NYPD department.
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Based on their initial investigation, police believe the shooting was the result of a verbal argument that broke out in the shoe store. The two victims were part of a group of six already in the store when a trio, that included the shooter, walked inside.
A dispute erupted between the two groups and the 19-year-old gunman pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the other group, police said. A picture from inside the store showed where bullets shattered a mirror, and outside at least two of the more than 10 bullets fired pierced the wall — making it onto the concourse where unsuspecting mallgoers were walking by.
The trio fled the mall but were picked up a few blocks away by patrolling officers who were able to match witness descriptions to those of the shooter and his companions. Two guns were also recovered.
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The 19-year-old gunman was arrested in November 2021 in possession of four firearms, the department said Monday. He'd been indicted and released on bail.
A motive for the shooting is still under investigation.
