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A masked gunman stormed a New York City McDonald’s and opened fire on two children before fleeing the scene.
The shooter entered the Bronx-based fast food restaurant at approximately 9.51pm ET on Saturday evening at 2516 White Plains Road, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
A volley of six bullets struck a 12-year-old male in the back and the left leg, and a 13-year-old boy in the left thigh. Police responded to a 911 call, finding the wounded victims outside the McDonald’s, authorities said.
The gunman was shrouded in all-black attire along with a black medical mask when the man entered the premises. The boys were the intended targets of the shooter, NYPD sources told CBS.
Authorities are still looking for the perpetrator, who fled the scene on foot on Mace Avenue. No arrests have been made.
Both children were whisked by ambulance a mile down the road to Jacobi Medical Center where they are receiving treatment for their wounds. The NYPD confirmed to The Independent that the boys are in a stable condition.
Detectives spent the entire evening gleaning evidence at the McDonald’s and investigators began speaking with employees as of Sunday morning. The motivations behind the attack remain unclear.
The number of shooting incidents in New York City are down more than seven per cent so far this year compared with 2023, according to the latest NYPD figures. However, shooting incidents in the Bronx are up by nearly one per cent compared with last year.
It’s not the first time this year a McDonald’s has been at the center of a shooting in the Bronx.
On April 15, two men were shot outside the eatery at 4am on East 149th Street and Morris Avenue in the residential neighbourhood of Mott Haven, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
One of the men, Adrian Mendoza, 24, was struck in the head and body by six bullets and was pronounced dead at Lincoln Hospital. The other man, Jhombeyker Bisbal, 31, was shot in the torso and was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Police are asking for anyone with any information on the incident to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
