MORRIS HEIGHTS — A 12-year-old boy was shot in the buttock on Tuesday — the same evening that National Night Out hosted a series of anti crime events.
The child was shot in the right buttock just after 9 p.m. near East Tremont Street and Jerome Avenue in the NYPD's 46th Precinct, police said. He was taken to St. Barnabas in stable condition.
The shooting appeared to be a retaliation attack following a previous fight, police said.
No one had been arrested in the shooting by Wednesday afternoon and the NYPD said its investigation was ongoing.
The shooting occurred on the same evening as National Night Out celebrations across the city, an annual summer event where police precincts, local businesses and community groups put together anti-crime rallies.
Commissioner William Bratton, who spoke at the nearby 43rd Precinct's celebration, emphasized how much safer the area had become in his remarks.
"Over the last 20 years, working with you here in the 43 Precinct, we have been able to take back the streets," he said. "We're still working with you to make them even safer. We're still working with you so that you can enjoy them."
46th Precinct Community Council President Cynthia Tompkins stressed that, despite celebrations like National Night Out, violence does not take a day off.
"Wars don’t stop because people come together to say they want peace," she said. "It’s just the beginning of trying to change a direction."
