Teen Girls Shot at New York City Pride March

A teenage girl shot another during the New York City Pride March before being shot herself.

According to New York City police, the incident occurred near the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, which is also the birthplace of the gay rights movement in 1969.

The shooting happened shortly after 10 p.m. and involved two teenage girls, ages 16 and 17. The 16-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the head and is in critical condition, while the 17-year-old was shot in the leg and is in stable condition.

Both were taken to local hospitals.

Authorities said the 16-year-old also fired at a boy during the incident, missing him but striking a bystander. As the groups fled, a boy who was with the intended target allegedly shot the 16-year-old in the head.

While the daytime Pride events had remained peaceful, tensions escalated later that evening as a large, unruly crowd gathered.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed his sorrow on social media, calling the incident “devastating.” He noted that the city should have been celebrating its LGBTQ+ community, not mourning violence as Pride Month drew to a close.

The Stonewall Inn released a statement on Monday expressing that it was “deeply shocked” by the attack and voiced its solidarity with the community and Pride participants.

The Inn also reaffirmed its commitment to a world free of hate, violence, and fear, and urged everyone to remain vigilant.

The Christopher Street Project, a nonprofit that advocates for transgender rights, also mourned the violent act in a statement.

One bystander, Vivian Lewis, who was standing near the scene, said she was “heartbroken” after seeing the ambulances and police drones and realizing there was a shooting.

As of now, no charges have been announced.

A couple of hours earlier, six people were injured after being bear-sprayed at Washington Square Park.

According to the New York fire department, the incident happened at around 7:50 p.m. The individuals who were bear sprayed were subsequently treated for minor injuries.

Police later wrote on social media that they had caught the individual who deployed the bear spray and had taken him into custody.

The man who deployed the bear deterrent was later identified as 33-year-old Dominic Sabtor. He later told police that he had deployed the spray thinking he was about to be attacked by a group.

He faces counts of reckless endangerment, assault, and illicit possession of bear spray.