New York City’s Pride celebrations ended in tragedy Sunday night after two teenage girls were shot and six others were injured in a separate bear spray attack near the end of the day’s festivities.
According to the NYPD, the shooting took place shortly after 10 p.m. near Sheridan Square in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village — just steps from the historic Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement following a 1969 anti-police uprising.
The victims, two girls aged 16 and 17, were rushed to Bellevue Hospital. One is in critical condition after being shot in the head, while the other was struck in the leg and is in stable condition. As of Monday, no arrests had been made and the shooter remains at large, CBS News reported.
The shooting occurred amid large crowds gathered in the area following the city’s official Pride March. While the earlier events were peaceful, police say the atmosphere turned chaotic later in the evening as the crowds swelled and tensions rose.
“Saddened to learn about the shooting by the Stonewall Inn tonight as Pride celebrations were winding down,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams 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 said the NYPD will move “quickly and tirelessly” to find and prosecute those responsible.
Earlier in the evening, around 7:50 p.m., six people were sprayed with bear deterrent — a powerful chemical similar to pepper spray — in nearby Washington Square Park. The New York Fire Department confirmed the victims were evaluated for minor injuries at the scene.
Police later announced that the person responsible for deploying the spray had been taken into custody. However, details about their identity and motive have not yet been made public. Authorities are urging the community to remain calm as the investigation continues.
The back-to-back incidents cast a dark shadow over what had been a month of largely peaceful celebrations honoring the LGBTQ+ community.
