Two teens were wounded in a police-involved shooting in New York after officers opened fire to stop a Harlem gunfight involving the victims and an 18-year-old attempted murderer who had been released under a controversial law.
On Monday, cops responded to an unrelated 911 call at the Wagner House at around 5:30 p.m. when they heard multiple shots fired on 123rd Street and saw a teen shooting at other youths, NYPD officials said.
Police confirmed that one officer fired his weapon at the suspect, and then he and a partner chased the teen down in a foot pursuit on the streets of Harlem.
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The violent situation left two 15-year-old males suffering gunshot wounds. Luckily, the shots were fired at one to the left leg, the other to the left knee, and both were rushed to Harlem Hospital, where they are now reportedly in stable condition.
Cops are looking into whether the teens were shot by the officer’s bullets or hit by gunfire from the attackers during the New York shooting.
Police took the two alleged teenage shooters into custody at the scene, including the 15-year-old who was shot in the leg.
Officers also arrested 18-year-old Damian Calhoun and recovered a firearm loaded with a high-capacity magazine in his bag, the NYPD confirmed.
At a press conference on Monday night, the NYPD said that on July 23, Calhoun had pleaded guilty to attempted murder for charges emanating from a 2024 incident when he was 17 years old.
“Because of Raise the Age law, he was released from custody in July and was back out on the streets,” said Chief of Patrol Phillip Rivera at the press conference.
Police stated that Calhoun was due back in court in November for his next hearing in that case.
Rivera then confirmed that the unidentified alleged teen shooter is also no stranger to police, as he has an open pending case in Manhattan for a violent felony.
According to reports, two NYPD officers were taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital for tinnitus.
The NYPD said surveillance footage of the incident showed two groups of youths arguing on the street, leading to the shooting of each other.
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The number of kids under the age of 18 arrested with a gun increased by a staggering 136% between 2018 and 2024, said Rivera alongside Mayor Eric Adams at a crime stats briefing held at City Hall.
