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Arrest made in Coney Island mass shooting that injured 4 children

Robert Smith, 44, is facing multiple counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting eight people, including four children, at a Fourth of July family barbecue. One victim, a 21-year-old woman, was left in critical condition.

Zoe Cosgrove

Jul 8, 2026, 10:45 PM

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An arrest has been made in connection to a mass shooting on Coney Island, according to a X post from the NYPD.

Robert Smith, 44, is facing multiple counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting eight people, including four children, at a Fourth of July family barbecue. One victim, a 21-year-old woman, was left in critical condition.

News 12 cameras captured Smith being walked out of the 60th Precinct in handcuffs on Wednesday evening. He did not answer any questions and kept his head down, only looking up once as he was entering the police car.

Police say the chaos unfolded just after 10:30 p.m. Saturday inside a courtyard at 2929 West 31st St.

According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, shots were fired through a fence and into the crowd. A firearm was later recovered at the scene.

The four children who were wounded include a 6-year-old boy who was shot in the stomach, a 7-year-old boy struck in both legs, a 12-year-old boy shot in the leg and a 14-year-old boy shot in the thigh.

All four children and four adults were rushed to nearby hospitals. Daisha, 21, remains in critical condition.

Tisch said investigators are looking into a possible connection between the mass shooting and a gang-related homicide that occurred three blocks away just three days prior.

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