EAST WILLIAMSBURG — The shooting outside an East Williamsburg high school that left two teens wounded stemmed from a gang dispute between one of the victims and another teen, police and officials said.
A 14-year-old girl not involved in the feud was shot in the leg when the 17-year-old gunman fired three to four shots on Grand Street near Bushwick Avenue as Progress High School for Professional Careers let out Wednesday afternoon, NYPD Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce said.
A 17-year-old student, who police believe was the intended target, was shot in the arm. Both teenagers, who were students at the school, according to a letter sent home to parents, were taken to Bellevue Hospital where they were expected to fully recover, police said
The shooting may have been in retaliation for a fight that took place between the student victim and the shooter, Boyce said.
The shooting was the second time a weapon appeared near the campus Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, two students got in a fight on the campus, where one suffered minor injuries, according to a letter to parents from High School for Enterprise, Business & Technology Principal Holger Carrillo. The two high schools share the Grand Street campus.
A weapon was then found on the floor near the students after the fight, the letter said.
It's unclear whether the argument was related to the shooting later in the day.
No arrests have been made, but police followed the shooter on a B43 bus to Throop Avenue in Bed-Stuy where they lost the trail, but found three guns at that location, the chief said.
"We believe we have the weapon that was used to shoot the two individuals, a .25 caliber handgun," Boyce said. "We're doing a ballistics search on that now."
Security at the Grand Street campus's three high schools was heightened Wednesday in light of the shooting.
Students had to enter the school through metal detectors, and police presence had heightened considerably inside and outside the school, students said.
Though locals and students said fights are common at the school, it's rare for arguments to escalate to gunfire, they said.
Some students said that fellow classmates skipped school or left early.
"I felt not safe," said junior Maya Robertson, 16. "I wanted to transfer. I didn't want to be here."
The school day largely proceeded as normal, but some students felt the mood had dampened at the school.
Security had improved at the school over the years, said senior Germain Brown, 18. When he was a freshman, students went through the metal detector nearly every day.
This year, Wednesday was just the third time the school required such security measures, he said.
"Things were gloomy," he said. "Teachers weren't as energetic today."
Tuesday's incident was sudden, unexpected and difficult to prevent, said Councilman Antonio Reynoso, who met with police and school officials Wednesday to discuss the incident.
In light of the shooting, Reynoso and the schools were advocating for more staggered school dismissals so that police do not have to handle as many students at once.
Officials will also be planning a security forum for parents to help educate them on preventative measures and signs to notice, Reynoso said.
Students at the three high schools at Grand Street have a reputation for being rowdy after school dismissal.
Employees at Sky Bar and Grill, a restaurant that's been open at 804 Grand St. for five months, said they frequently see students climb cars and get into altercations, sometimes six times a day.
In one case, they witnessed a girl get cut in the face, said Vanessa Ferreira, a manager at the bar.
She loves being in the neighborhood — which she said has "potential" — but she wishes the students were better behaved.
"I feel like they can't control the kids," she said. "It's like a murder scene."
But Reynoso defended the schools, saying that the students who get into fights are just "the few bad apples."
Most of the 2,800 students on the campus "are doing everything that they're supposed to," he said.
"This campus has progressed so much over the last 20 years," he said. "This is not the norm."
