By Joe Anuta
A 10-year-old girl was grazed by a stray bullet after an early Saturday morning shooting in Far Rockaway, witnesses and the NYPD said.
The child was outside of an apartment complex located on Dix Avenue near Beach Channel Drive at about 1:20 a.m. when witnesses said a group of men on bikes rolled up and squeezed off a few rounds before fleeing.
The youngster was struck in the leg, according to the NYPD, and was rushed to a nearby medical facility.
“The little girl started screaming at the top of her lungs, the family came out and the guys took off,” one neighbor told TimesLedger.
As of Sunday evening, no arrests had been made, the NYPD said.
Random violence is par for the course in the neighborhood, said frustrated residents, who blame outsiders for stirring up trouble and alarming parents who have to worry about children playing outside.
“They bring their drama here and our kids have to suffer the consequences,” said resident Nicole Watson. “This is a bad neighborhood.”
Watson and others living in the complex said the police have not been doing enough to stem the violence.
One man who has several children said last year another innocent bystander was caught in a crossfire and took a bullet to the face.
“It’s the unwanted characters who are out here every day,” he said. “It is hard, because It’s never going to stop. This happens at least two or three times every summer.”
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
