Teen girls shot near Stonewall Inn after Pride celebrations, NYPD says

Two teens were shot and one was stabbed near the Stonewall Inn as New York City’s Pride celebrations came to a close Sunday, authorities said.

The NYPD said the shooting wasn’t connected to the Pride events, but stemmed from a fight between two rival groups. As of Monday, no arrests had been made.

Police said shots were fired around 10:15 p.m. on Sheridan Square, near an apartment building not far from the historic bar that police raided in 1969 in an event that sparked the modern LGBTQ rights movement. Blood stains were seen in front of the building, and officers marked a bullet hole on a nearby wall.

The victims included two 17-year-old girls and a 16-year-old girl. The 16-year-old was listed in critical condition, while the 17-year-olds were in stable condition, according to police.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the incident began when the 16-year-old girl spotted a male from a rival group and pointed a 9mm pistol inches from his head before firing twice.

“ By some miracle, this male is not shot,” he said. “However, those rounds travel down range and strike our 17-year-old victim in her left thigh.”

Kenny said the bullet went through the girl’s left leg and into her right thigh.

As the first group ran off, an unidentified man turned and fired four shots into the crowd, hitting the 16-year-old girl, who police said fired first.

“ She drops to the floor and she's abandoned by the group,” Kenny said. “She's left there by herself.”

Police said another 17-year-old girl from the group was later found in the hospital with a stab wound to the chest and a punctured lung. She was seen on video with the group before the altercation.

The 16-year-old had been arrested earlier this month in two gunpoint robberies but was released, officials said. Kenny said she was not listed in the NYPD’s gang database.

Police said one of the two guns was recovered at the scene.

In a post on X, Mayor Eric Adams said he was saddened by the shooting and promised that the NYPD would work “tirelessly” to find the suspect.

“During a time when our city should be rejoicing and celebrating members of our diverse LGBTQ+ community, incidents like this are devastating,” he said.

The Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street is central to LGBTQ history in New York. In 1969, patrons of the gay bar fought back against a police raid, igniting what became known as the Stonewall Rebellion. The city’s first Gay Pride March took place the following year. In 2016, former President Barack Obama designated the bar and its surroundings a national monument.

Conor Weiss, who has lived near Stonewall since 1987, said he was walking his dog Sunday night when he heard gunfire.

“This is the first time in all the years I've lived here that I've even heard about anything close to this violence happening on Gay Pride Day, certainly in this neighborhood,” Weiss said.

The incident came just hours after chaos unfolded at Washington Square Park. Around 7:45 p.m., a man sprayed bear deterrent into a crowd, prompting a stampede that left nearly 50 people injured. Police said the suspect told them he was afraid of being attacked and used the spray, which came from an 8.1-ounce can labeled with a picture of a bear, to protect himself.

Shootings in the 6th Precinct, which covers the West Village and Greenwich Village, are rare. Sunday’s shooting was the precinct’s first of the year, and there were no shootings there in the first half of 2023, according to NYPD CompStat data.

In the Washington Square Park case, police charged 23-year-old Dominick Sabater of Manhattan with assault, criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession or sale of noxious material. Police said many revelers suffered eye and facial irritation.

This story has been updated with new information. It is based on preliminary details from police and may be updated further.