Police have identified a 20-year-old woman who was the lone person killed when gunmen opened fire at a sweet 16 party and shot seven people in Brooklyn Tuesday night, officials said.
Baijonna Long, 20, Providence Street in upstate Stanford, in Dutchess County, was the only person killed when two gunmen began shooting inside of 15 Albany Avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant at 11:17 p.m. Tuesday. In addition to Long, a 16-year-old remains in critical condition at Kings County Hospital. The other victims are expected to survive their wounds, investigators say.
The gunmen are believed to be members of a street gang, though police have declined to identify which one is involved nor provide further description on the assailants. The shooting is one of many gang-related shootings that have plagued the city throughout the year, contributing to a 140 percent increase in shootings and nearly 40 percent increase in homicides. There were a total of 11 people shot on Tuesday.
The shootings sparked both outrage and concern by elected officials and community leaders who called on changes at the NYPD to combat gun violence. Leaders also blamed the “iron pipeline” in which guns are trafficked north from southern states where gun sales are more lax. Borough President Eric Adams said he has been talking with gang members, including some shooters, to try to stop the gun violence.
Meanwhile, nobody was shot city-wide as both community groups and police pressure gangs and colder weather keeps people in their homes.
Police seek information
The NYPD released new photos of a person wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting of three people, including a 1-year-old baby who was killed in the July 12 attack in Brooklyn.
Police say that at 11:30 p.m. residents were barbecuing in front of 464 Madison Street when two young men opened fire on the group, hitting a 36 and 35-year-old, but also hitting Darvell Gardner while sitting in his stroller, killing the child.
The shooting sparked city-wide outrage and a massive funeral in which Rev. Al Sharpton demanded that, “Black lives Matter means, all Black Lives Matter.”
Police released these photos of the men wanted for questioning in this case.
There is now a reward of up to $20,000 for information in regard to the below homicide
Anyone with information in regard to this or any of the other shootings is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential
Arrest in shooting death
Detectives from the 70th Precinct arrested a 39-year-old man in the shooting death of a 31-year-old man in front of his Flatbush, Brooklyn apartment building across the street from Prospect Park on Nov. 15.
Police arrested Collin Percy, 39, of 188 Parkside Avenue in connection with the shooting death of Mamadou Diallo, 31, of McKeever Place in front of Percy’s home in the brazen daylight killing. Percy is accused of shooting Diallo three times, resulting in him dying at Kings County Hospital on Nov. 17.
The motive for the shooting was not immediately known, but sources say there was a long running dispute between the two men.
Collin is being charged with murder and criminal possession of a firearm.
