Two 15-year-olds were hospitalized Thursday afternoon after police said a fight in West Farms escalated into gunfire.
It happened on Honeywell Avenue, where neighbors said a normal afternoon was suddenly interrupted by violence as children were coming home from school.
Surveillance video appears to show two people in red and gray sweatsuits being approached by another man before the confrontation quickly turned into an all-out brawl. Moments later, two teenagers were seen hunched over near a car.
“I heard one shot — bing, bomb,” one neighbor said.
Another neighbor said the gunfire was so loud that it stopped them in the middle of watching television.
“It sounded like fireworks because of how loud it was, and it’s broad daylight,” the neighbor said.
Officers responded just after 4 p.m. and found both victims bleeding in the street. One teen was shot in the face and the other was shot in the hand. Both are expected to recover.
At one point during the investigation, officers believed the gunman may have been inside a nearby building on East 181st Street and Honeycomb Avenue.
While News 12 cameras were rolling, officers escorted a group of four people out of the building, including two men in handcuffs. The men appeared to be surrounded by girls who tried to shield them from view. News 12 cameras captured the two smiling before officers placed them into police cruisers, one of them sticking his tongue out.
It remains unclear whether the two people taken into custody are teenagers. Police have not yet announced charges. The investigation remains ongoing.