Woman Shot in Park Behind Brooklyn Junior High School Sparks Panic
A young woman, found in a popular park behind I.S. 278 with gunshot wounds to the head, is in critical condition following a bizarre and terrifying situation. Hearing the gunshots, the school-known as Marine Park Junior High School-went into lockdown, keeping the kids there for after school programs sheltering in place.
The 36 year old woman had been in the park with her one year old son; the child had been taken from the crime scene by his father, but was recovered blocks away after a very brief police pursuit. The boy was unharmed but was examined by EMTs after he had been retrieved from his father’s car. The child’s father is being interviewed by police after eyewitnesses claim that they saw the victim arguing with a man before the shooting. There were allegedly no witnesses to the shooting.
The matter is being investigated by the police as a potential attempted suicide, but a gun was not found on scene. It is also believed that the victim sent her niece a suicide note via text. The 36 year old victim-later identified as Shatyra Wingate-lived blocks from where she was grievously injured. She was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital from the site of the incident, where her condition remains serious.
The investigation is ongoing.
Photos by Bruce Cotler
Reporting by Emily Cotler