Two drive-by shootings that happened hours apart Wednesday morning left two people injured, continuing a violent streak that has claimed 18 victims since the beginning of summer.

Police say the latest incident happened at around 3:00 a.m. when a black sedan pulled up to the curb on Lawrence Street. Moments later, a gunman jumped out of the vehicle, firing several shots in the direction of a large group of people standing outside, authorities say. One of the bullets hit a 17-year-old girl in the buttocks. Police say she is expected to recover.

Several hours before the Lawrence Street shooting, police say a man walking along Walnut Street was shot in the stomach. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Police say the shots were fired from a black SUV with four men inside.

Jim Bostic, head of the Nepperhan Community Center and the Yonkers Anti-Gang and Violence Coalition, says this has been a dangerous summer for Yonkers residents.

?I am very much alarmed, as all the citizens of Yonkers should be,? says Bostic.

According to Bostic, two rival street gangs, the Lawrence Street Posse and the Elliot Avenue Gang, have been wrecking havoc in the neighborhood.

Over the weekend, another person was shot in front of 72 Ash St. On Aug. 23, a man was hit in the stomach on Highland Avenue, and a week before that, Shaun Goodwin died after being shot in the chest on Maple Street.

Bostic says it is very difficult for authorities to prevent gun violence, much of it gang or drug related. Instead, he says, a strong community effort is needed.

?All of us here have a responsibility that when we know people are carrying guns, they should let law enforcement know,? he says.

Anyone with any information on the shootings is asked to call Yonkers police at 914-377-7725.