Two teenage girls were shot near the Stonewall Inn as NYC Pride celebrations winded down Sunday night, police said.
The incident occurred in Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village just after 10 p.m. near the Stonewall Inn, a historic LGBTQ bar.
A 16-year-old girl sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was in critical condition, while a 17-year-old girl was stable with a gunshot wound in the leg, a New York police spokesperson said. Both were taken to local hospitals.
The police spokesperson said that it was too early to know whether the incident was hate crime-related and that the investigation continues. No suspect has been identified.
The 16-year-old girl in critical condition was not the target, two law enforcement sources told NBC New York.
The older girl was first shot by a person walking in the crowd, and in response, she pulled out her own gun and fired back at the person who shot her, the sources said. But she missed and struck the younger girl instead, according to the sources.
The Stonewall Inn said in a statement Monday that it was "deeply shocked" and that it stood with the Pride attendees, as well as the community.
"While the incident did not take place at our establishment, it occurred on a day that holds profound meaning to our community — Pride is our most sacred day of the year," the statement said.
The Stonewall Inn urged people to stay vigilant and affirmed its "unwavering commitment to a world free from hate, violence, and fear."
New York Mayor Eric Adams said he was “saddened.”
“During a time when our city should be rejoicing and celebrating members of our diverse LGBTQ+ community, incidents like this are devastating,” he said on X.
The Christopher Street Project, a hybrid PAC and nonprofit organization advocating for transgender rights, said in a statement that it mourned the act of violence.
“Tonight, we are holding the victims of the shooting outside the Stonewall Inn and their families in our hearts,” it read.
A bystander, Vivian Lewis, told NBC New York that she was “heartbroken” after she learned about the shooting when she saw police drones and ambulances.
"I saw medical workers scrummaging. I got sympathy adrenaline from watching that," she said.
The shooting happened after the Pride march Sunday, which is among the world’s largest LGBTQ demonstrations.
