Two people have been shot near the historic Stonewall Inn in New York following the city’s pride parade.
One victim was shot in the head, and is in a critical condition, a police spokesperson told the New York Times. The other victim had been shot in the leg, and was in a stable condition. The victims were a 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl, according to media reports.
The shooting occurred outside a building near the Greenwich Village venue at 10:15 p.m., according to the NYT.
The New York Police Department is investigating the shooting but told the NYT it was unclear whether the shooting was linked to the pride march, which occurred earlier in the day on Sunday. No suspect has been identified, they said.
Douglas Breland, a bouncer who works for Barrow Street Alehouse near the Stonewall Inn, told the NYT he heard at least four loud cracks, before a man walked into the Alehouse and said people had been shot.
Bystanders who were still at the scene after the victims had been rushed to hospital were being comforted by police, the New York Post reports.
“This area has been packed with people all day, and we were getting ready to party through the night, and then, all of a sudden, ‘Boom boom boom!’ — everyone’s ducking and running for cover and screaming. It was complete pandemonium,” a witness who asked not to be named told The Post.
New York City mayor Eric Adams said it was a devastating incident.
“Saddened to learn about the shooting by the Stonewall Inn tonight as Pride celebrations were winding down,” he wrote on X.
“During a time when our city should be rejoicing and celebrating members of our diverse LGBTQ+ community, incidents like this are devastating.”
Adams continued: “We’re praying for the speedy recovery of the victims in tonight’s shooting. The NYPD will work quickly and tirelessly to bring the suspects to justice.”
Greenwich Village is at the heart of New York’s annual pride celebrations, and the march commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots. Prior to the riots, the inn was one of the most popular gay bars in New York, particularly among drag queens and the transgender community.
At the time, homosexuality was a criminal offence, and gay bars were regularly raided by police. Police raided Stonewall at a peak time on Friday night, on 28 June, and officers quickly lost control of the crowd.
In 1970, the city’s first pride march was held on the one-year anniversary of those riots, with an estimated crowd of up to 5,000 people.
On Sunday, huge crowds took part in the pride parade and street parties in the city. The theme of Manhattan’s celebration was “Rise up: Pride in Protest.”
