The parents of two children seen in harrowing video of a Bronx sidewalk shooting, in which the children were just inches away from a gunman firing a dozen rounds, are now speaking, saying their children are traumatized. NBC New York’s Sarah Wallace reports.
After bullets flew just mere inches away from them, trauma still haunts two children caught in the line of fire on a Bronx sidewalk, their parents said — as the gunman remains at large.
The shooting in broad daylight on June 17 was caught on camera, with terrifying video showing the moment an armed suspect chase down a 24-year-old man and shoot him several times.
The children — a 13- and 5-year-old sister and brother who were just steps away from their home — somehow avoided being shot as the gunman opened fire on his intended target, a gang member, according to police. The target scrambled to escape the gunfire, falling on top of the kids as the hitman fired off a dozen rounds.
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The victim was struck in the leg and back and was taken to a nearby hospital, police said. He's expected to survive. Amazingly, the two children were not struck by any of the bullets, and were physically unharmed. But their parents say the harrowing ordeal has taken a psychological toll.
"My kids are traumatized, whenever they hear a noise outside they start shaking and get really nervous," the father of the children said in Spanish while speaking to reporter's in the lobby of the family's apartment building, across the street from the bodega.
The 13-year-old girl had taken her younger brother to buy candy at the store when the chaos erupted. Their mother said they don't know the shooter or the victim.
"The kids were not with those people. The kids were just in the bodega buying something," the mother said.
What can be seen on the video is the older sister trying to protect her little brother, shielding him from the danger.
"I'm not sure what it takes to get the key to the city, but I nominate her," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison. "But I will say this, I'm very optimistic ... we do have some good leads."
Police are still looking for the suspected gunman and a man who can be seen driving the shooter before and afterward on a scooter.
