On Thursday, a 9-year-old girl was shot in the foot by a stray bullet while walking home from church in Brooklyn. Second-grader Dulce Cabrera talked to the Daily News about the incident, and proudly told them she didn't cry: “I didn’t cry for nothing,” she said. “The ambulance driver man said if that was him, he would be crying. He said I was strong.” more ›

On Tuesday night, an 8-year-old was shot in the shoulder by a gunman on a bike in the Bronx. Armando Bigo, who is currently recovering from his wound at Jacobi Medical Center, described being hit by a stray bullet: “I was looking at the chips,” he told the Daily News. “I just wanted some chips. Someone opened the door and shot me...I don’t think I was brave. I got shot.” more ›

A teen was arrested this week in the stray-bullet shooting of a young Bronx mom—and police say that the fatal accident occurred because of a petty argument over line-cutting. Jeffry Ramirez, 19, confessed to mistakenly shooting 24-year-old mom Yaritza Pacheco at a bodega on E. 174th Street early Sunday morning. And it all started because one of Ramirez's friends cut in line of another man: "The guy went and got more people with guns...I went home and got a gun," Ramirez told cops of the incident. more ›

A 10-year-old boy was the latest victim of stray bullets from a gang shootout last night in Brooklyn. Khalil Robinson was watching TV in his first floor East New York apartment when he was struck by two bullets, once in the neck and once in the shoulder. more ›

Yesterday afternoon just after 3:25 p.m., an 88-year-old sitting in his car at Flatbush Avenue and Winthrop Street in Brooklyn was struck in the stomach by an apparent stray bullet. A resident told WABC 7, "Being an old man, I felt sorry for him but he was calm." Well, another witness said the man yelled, "They shot the hell out of me," but who can blame him? more ›

The tragic murder of 15-year-old Brandon Bethea triggered the investigation that led to a massive gang takedown in Queens. Bethea was killed by a stray bullet in 2008 in a Far Rockaway project, shot by a gang member firing into a crowd. The gunman's arrest sparked a wiretap investigation that took down 104 people identifying with "Flocc," a gang alliance between members of the Crips and the Bloods. "It was that investigation that got us up on the phones as we learned about the [gang] activity in that area," Deputy Chief Robert Boyce told the Daily News. more ›

Dalila Gray, the 10-year-old struck in the arm by a stray bullet, tells the Daily News that she had no idea she was hit during the Monday night shooting that left a man dead on Pulaski Street in Bed-Stuy. She said, "I didn't feel anything," and only cried after her mom, who noticed the hole and blood in her sweater, started crying. The girl had just stepped out of a nearby store around 8 p.m. when the gunfire began; now she's afraid, "I don't want to go outside." Her mother added, "People don't think, they don't care. They don't care who's around when they start shooting." And police say the intended target was the deceased, a 22-year-old with previous arrests. more ›

Last night before 8 p.m., a man was shot dead and a 10-year-old girl was wounded in a shooting on Stuyvesant Avenue in Brooklyn last night. It's believed the girl, who had been playing outside her building, was hit by a stray bullet while the man, 24, was the intended target. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg invited Vada Vasquez, who was shot in the head by a stray bullet in November and made a miraculous recovery, to his annual interfaith breakfast where he asked religious leaders to fight the spread of illegal guns. The Daily News reports that the Mayor implored, "We still have more to do. There is some other young person out there - or older person - who's sitting there just minding their own business, who could be the next Vada Vasquez, or worse. And we don't want that to happen." more ›

Just one mile from the spot where 15-year-old Vada Vasquez was shot in the head by a stray bullet, a 16-year-old girl was caught in the crossfire after a Bronx house party, the Post reports. more ›

Vada Vasquez, the 15-year-old Bronx student who was shot in the head Monday afternoon by suspects targeting someone else, was taken off her ventilator and remains in critical condition. The intended target spoke to the Daily News, "I'm so sad about what happened to her. I feel terrible. She's innocent, like I'm innocent." more ›

Reclining her hospital bed yesterday, the 66-year-old Harlem woman who took a stray bullet in the leg in Harlem Wednesday sent a strong message to Mayor Bloomberg about what Harlem needs: "Bloomberg's getting in there and making the place look fancy and all of that, but it's not safe and people won't want to come here," Virginia Valree told the Daily News. more ›

A 66-year-old Harlem woman became the second victim of stray gunfire this week in NYC. Virginia Valree was walking along Lenox Avenue in Harlem around 3:30 p.m. yesterday, carrying potatoes to deliver to a sick friend, when a bullet struck her left leg and knocked her into traffic on West 135th Street. "I'm horrified. All I know is I was just standing there and my leg gave in," Valree told the Daily News from her hospital bed last night. "I was on the ground. I was laying there saying, 'Somebody stop the traffic!' because I didn't want to get run over." more ›

A 15-year-old Bronx teen, not too far from her school in the Morrisania section, was shot in the head by a stray bullet yesterday afternoon. She had apparently walked into a dispute between two men—the Daily News reports, "As Vada Vasquez underwent emergency brain surgery, cops hunted for a bicycle-riding gunman who fired wildly at a man suspected of being a snitch." The apparent target of the gunfire, a 19-year-old man, was also shot in the abdomen and leg and taken to a hospital. more ›

The 18-year-old who is accused of firing a gun into the air—and killing a 92-year-old woman in her Bronx home—pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder. Jamal Blair is being held without bail and his lawyer is trying to explain that his client has had a tough childhood, "In 1993 he was 2 years old and witnessed his father murder his mother. He stayed with his mother's body until his grandparents found discovered what happened almost a day later. It still stays with him." more ›

The police announced that an 18-year-old was arrested in connection to the death of a 92-year-old woman in her Bronx home. Sadie Mitchell was apparently struck by a stray bullet on Tuesday evening, when a shot was fired during a fight between two groups of youths. Witnesses told cops that Jamal Blair, 18, was the shooter and he allegedly confessed. A source tells the Daily News, "He told cops he thought he was shooting up in the air. The lady was 15 feet [above ground] in her home when the bullet hit." more ›

Family and friends of the 92-year-old who was fatally killed by a stray bullet in her Bronx home on Tuesday are still reeling from the tragedy. Sadie Mitchell's daughter Sharon van Rooij said, "When someone is in their 90s, it's inevitable that they're going to die, but not like this... Not at the hands of some punk. I hope [the killer] will fry. I don't care how old you are -- 18, 19, 30 or 12. I hope you fry." more ›

Neighbors are outraged after a 92-year-old was fatally shot by an apparently stray bullet that entered her home on East 224th Street in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx. According to the NY Times, "It was unclear whether Ms. Mitchell was the intended target, but the police said it appeared some youths had gotten into a fight on the street" before the 5:30 p.m. incident. more ›

Davonte Kelly, the 11-year-old whose skull was grazed by a bullet as he waited to play Little League baseball, made a triumphant appearance at Citi Field to throw the ceremonial first pitch (video) before the Cardinals-Mets game. Kelly, whose spunk has impressed the city and both the Mets and Yankees, also got to meet his favorite player, David Wright, who presented him with a special jersey and an autographed bat. more ›

Davonte Kelly, the 11-year-old who survived a stray bullet to his head (!!), returned to the Little League ballfields in Brooklyn to cheer his teammates. A week ago, Kelly had been waiting to play a game when the bullet entered his head—he thought he was just hit by a baseball, but it was in fact a bullet, which just missed entering his skull (the bullet did dent it a little). Davonte was in great spirits when chatting with WCBS 2 (which also shows where the bullet hit him), "It just feels great - smell the grass, smell the peanuts, get that urge for playing baseball," and expressed his appreciation for all the support he's been getting. But he's not playing just yet, per doctor's orders. No matter, he told the Daily News, "I might not be on the field today, but at least I'm watching. I love baseball and I love my team." Aw! You rule, Davonte! The police still have not found the shooter; City Councilman Charles Barron urged people with information to step forward, "A little boy ought to be able to play baseball without a bullet lodged in his head." more ›

Davonte Kelly, the 11-year-old who was hit by a stray bullet while waiting for his Little League game on Sunday, will get to meet his favorite baseball player. The Mets offered him tickets to a game and the NY Post reports that David Wright is ready and excited as well. Wright said, "I'm looking forward to meeting him and shaking his hand and talking a little baseball with him...Your first reaction is your heart goes out to the family. You never expect things like that to happen to begin with. I'm excited to meet him." It was a miracle that Davonte survived—the bullet didn't enter his skull, but it did dent it. The Mets also sent Davonte a "get-well basket with a bobble head of pitcher Johan Santana and a replica of the old Shea Stadium" while the Yankees also sent him tickets. And Davonte is ready to play ball again; after leaving the hospital yesterday, he said, "I am going to practice. I told my mom I am going to go downstairs and throw the ball against the wall and catch it for 30 minutes every day and exercise my muscles." The police still have not found the shooter. more ›

Eleven-year-old Davonte Kelly was greeted by well-wishers and the media when he emerged from Brookdale Hospital today. Kelly was waiting to play a Little League baseball game in Brooklyn on Sunday when a stray bullet entered his skull, not that he knew he was shot—he thought he was just hit by a baseball. According to CityRoom, Davonte said, "I’m feeling fine, no headaches or anything. I was amazed I could survive a bullet." The miraculous thing is that the bullet just missed penetrating his skull and brain. City Councilman Charles Barron, who previously urged for people with information about the shooting to step forward, was also outside the hospital and said, "We want to say to our community, put the gun down. A little boy ought to be able to play baseball without having a bullet lodged in his head." more ›

Thank goodness: The mother of the 11-year-old boy whose head was hit by a bullet says her son is fine. Devante Kelly had been waiting to play his Little League game at Starrett City in Brooklyn when an apparently stray bullet hit him. Andrea Walters said of son Devante Kelly, "He's fine, I just want everyone to know he's fine and not to worry. He was up and talking through the whole thing like it was nothing." According to the NY Times, the bullet "traveled under the skin for less than an inch, and then come to rest against the skull, hitting it with enough force to put a small depression or dent in it but not enough to break it." Brookdale Hospital neurosurgeon Dr. Louis G. Cornacchia said, "This was as an act of God that this child was not more severely injured. This is not the result of my gifted hands. He was saved long before I ever entered the picture." Devante's mother said she hopes her son will be back to playing soon—she doesn't want him to be afraid—and City Councilman Charles Barron said, "Anybody that has information on this, if you don't want to snitch, tell me - I'll snitch. This is very, very sickening in our community." more ›

An 11-year-old boy was struck by a bullet while taking a photograph at Little League game in Brooklyn. The Daily News reports, "The boy, identified by a relative as Devante Kelly, was taken to Brookdale University Hospital, where he was set for a miraculous recovery after doctors removed the bullet from between his skull and scalp." Devante was either sitting on a bleacher or standing in the field at Starrett City during the incident yesterday afternoon; a relative said, "He felt something, and he just started screaming." At first, it was thought he was struck by a baseball, but when it was clear he was shot, the police searched the complex. So far, there are no suspects and no motives; police are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers 800-577-TIPS, to visit the CrimeStoppers website or to text info to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577. more ›

Two children are recovering from gunshot wounds after being hit by stray bullets during separate incidents Saturday night. On President Street in Crown Heights, 10-year-old Denia Kearse (pictured) was enjoying a block party when shots rang out around 8 p.m. Her aunt tells channel 7, "Everybody heard pop, pop, pop, and it sounded like it was blocks away. And then, the next thing you know, my niece is bleeding." The stray bullet tore across her chest, chipping her collar bone, and passed dangerously close to her neck. According to the Daily News, she's in Kings County Hospital and expected to recover. Later that night in Far Rockaway, an 8-year-old boy was grazed in the head by a stray bullet as he got out of a car with his aunt around 10:30 p.m. The unidentified victim is in critical condition, and police are still looking for suspects in both shootings. more ›

Police are looking for a man whose gunfire hit a 9-year-old boy on his bike. According to the NY Post, two men were arguing on Pacific Street in Crown Heights, when one of the men said, "Now I've got to you motherf---er" and opened fire. Sham-Shawann Kelly had been eight feet away, with many other children, when the bullet hit his head. He is in critical condition, but his family is hopeful he will make it. The Daily News reports police were on the scene with bloodhounds, even sledgehammers "to knock down doors," to find the suspect. more ›