Police said the 13-year-old was hit in the hands and leg during the afternoon shooting.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Police were searching for a masked suspect after a 13-year-old boy was shot multiple times inside the NYCHA Seth Low Houses in Brownsville on Friday afternoon. The teen was taken to Brookdale Hospital in stable condition and was expected to recover, authorities said.
The gunfire inside a residential building sent officers rushing into a busy public housing complex and set off a weekend search for at least one person who ran from the scene. While a 13-year-old was arrested and charged in the case, police said Monday that another suspect remained at large as detectives worked to reconstruct what happened.
Officers responded to 131 Belmont Ave. around the middle of the afternoon after a 911 call reported shots inside the building, police said. The timing was described as just after 2:30 p.m. in early reports and as just before 2:45 p.m. in a police update. When officers arrived, they found a 13-year-old with gunshot wounds to both hands and a thigh and a graze wound to the left knee, police said. Emergency crews treated him and took him to One Brooklyn Health Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center. Authorities said he was expected to survive.
Police said the shooting happened inside the Seth Low Houses, part of the New York City Housing Authority system that includes high rise buildings in Brownsville. The complex has long corridors, stairwells, and elevator banks that can be crowded during the day. Investigators often rely on a mix of witness statements, building cameras, and physical evidence to track where a shooter entered, where shots were fired, and how a suspect left. Police did not say whether the shooting happened in an apartment, a hallway, or another common area.
Detectives said at least one suspect ran from the building. Police described the person they were still looking for as a male dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask. Earlier descriptions circulated over the weekend referenced two male suspects in dark clothing. Police did not explain the difference, and they did not say whether they now believe only one person fled or whether a second suspect was identified and later ruled out. They also did not release a direction of travel or say whether the suspect got into a vehicle.
Authorities announced that a 13-year-old boy had been arrested in connection with the shooting. Police said the arrested teen was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. Because the suspect is a minor, police did not release his name. Investigators did not say whether the arrested boy was the suspected shooter, an accomplice, or connected in another way. Police also did not say whether a gun was recovered, what type it was, or whether ballistics evidence tied it to other crimes.
The injuries suggested the victim may have raised his hands as shots were fired, but police did not discuss the shooting dynamics. Doctors and detectives sometimes face delays in interviewing victims after violent crimes, especially when victims are minors and family members and advocates are involved. Police did not say whether the victim had been interviewed or whether he could identify the shooter or the person who ran from the building.
Residents of the surrounding area said the police response was intense, with officers arriving quickly and moving through the building as neighbors watched from windows and sidewalks. Some described hearing a burst of loud pops followed by shouting in the hallway, then the sound of sirens pulling up outside. Police did not confirm those accounts, but they said the case remained under investigation and that they were continuing to collect video and speak with potential witnesses.
Brownsville has repeatedly been a focus of city and state efforts to reduce gun violence, including enforcement against illegal firearms and programs aimed at interrupting shootings. The neighborhood also has one of the nation’s largest concentrations of public housing. City reports and community groups have long described a mix of challenges, including poverty, building disrepair, and concerns about safety in and around housing developments. NYCHA has pushed for large scale modernization projects across its portfolio, arguing that upgrades to doors, lighting, elevators, and other basics can affect quality of life for residents.
In many public housing shootings, detectives work quickly to preserve hallway video, gather cell phone clips, and map out who was in the building at the time. They may request records from building systems and interview residents who were waiting for elevators or walking children home. Police did not say whether any video had been recovered or whether witnesses had come forward. They also did not identify a motive, and they did not say whether the shooting appeared targeted or random.
The legal path forward could include additional charges if investigators develop evidence that another person helped plan the shooting, provided a weapon, or tried to hide a suspect. Police did not announce any upcoming news conference or court date, and they did not say whether prosecutors were seeking to hold the arrested teen in secure detention. Juvenile cases can move differently than adult prosecutions, and many details are handled with added privacy protections because of the ages involved.
For now, police said the victim was recovering and the search for the masked suspect was continuing. Detectives said the next key milestone would be locating the person who fled and determining how the gunfire started inside the building. Police said the investigation remained active Tuesday as they pursued leads in Brownsville and reviewed evidence from the scene.
Author note: Last updated February 24, 2026.