Three teens were arrested Tuesday for allegedly shooting and seriously wounding a 38-year-old woman – a complete stranger – in the Bronx exactly two weeks earlier, cops and sources said.
The victim was walking on East 143rd Street near Willis Avenue in Mott Haven around 4:20 p.m. Feb. 10 when a band of thugs brazenly opened fire toward another group on the street, striking her, according to authorities and sources.
Two boys, 15 and 16, as well as a 16-year-old girl, were all charged with attempted murder, police said.
The girl and one of the boys turned themselves in, while the other teen was picked up by members of the department’s Neighborhood Safety Team, sources said.
At the time of the incident, the trio – plus one still-at-large male suspect – were walking down the block when one of the boys pulled a gun out of the girl’s handbag, police said.
That teen then opened fire, as did the other two boys who were also armed with guns, authorities said.
The victim, who sources say was not known to the crew, was rushed to Lincoln Medical Center with “serious physical injuries,” but her condition was considered stable, according to cops.
Meanwhile, the teens ran off, heading to the Diego Beekman apartment complex several blocks away, where they were captured on surveillance footage.
It remained unclear Wednesday whether the woman was the intended target of the gun-packing youths, or merely at the wrong place at the wrong time.
The violence came a few days before a 23-year-old woman believed to be an innocent bystander was shot in the leg in front of a building in Ridgewood, Queens, police said.
Three 17-year-old boys, as well as Thomas Tyler, 23, were arrested in connection to that shooting, which was believed to be gang-related, cops said.
In 2025, citywide youth violence hit historic highs – with 14% of shooting victims and 18% of shooters under the age of 18, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed last month.
“These are the highest percentages that we’ve ever seen for both measures since we began tracking this data in 2018,” Tisch said.