At least seven people were shot in three boroughs across New York City overnight, police say.
Three teenagers were shot in a Bronx playground at about 11 p.m. Wednesday. Police say a 17-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen, a 14-year-old girl shot in the left thigh and an 18-year-old boy hit in the upper chest. All were taken to Jacobi Hospital and are expected to be OK.
At the same time in Brooklyn, a man was shot in the chest on Atlantic Avenue, emergency personnel said. He was taken to Brookdale Hospital. His condition is unknown.
Hours later, a man and two women were shot near Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 143rd Street in Harlem. Their ages were not known, and there was no immediate information on the extent of their injuries. Authorities recovered a handgun about a block away from the scene, though it wasn't immediately clear if it was the weapon used in the shooting.
"These shootings are always about nonsense," one detective told NBC 4 New York, adding he hadn't seen so many shootings in such a short period in a long time. "Too many people have guns."
The overnight shootings are the latest in a string of violent incidents that have plagued the five boroughs this summer. Shootings on playgrounds and basketball courts have prompted outcry and fear within communities.
They've also caused friction between police, who say local political leaders should be more involved in preventing the violence, and political leaders who say that they have worked tirelessly to keep their streets safe.
Last month, a 4-year-old boy died after being caught in the crossfire when gunfire erupted during a basketball tournament in the Bronx. Three people have been charged in connection with that shooting.
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