Shooting Near Stonewall Inn On Final Day Of Pride Not Being Treated As A Hate Crime

Two teenagers have been shot and another wounded near the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City, just as Pride celebrations were wrapping up on Sunday.

According to eyewitnesses and surveillance footage, two groups of people, largely made up of teenagers, began fighting before 10:15pm in Greenwich Village.

Talking to the New York Times, New York City Police Department Chief Joseph Kenny said one unnamed 16-year-old drew a pistol, placing it “inches away” from another boy’s head, only to accidentally shoot a 17-year-old girl who had come into the city for Pride. She is expected to make a full recovery.

Authorities say the 16-year-old attempted to flee with her friends when another boy in her group fired into the crowd, the shot striking in her head. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital and remains in critical condition.

Further investigations from the NYPD found that another 17-year-old girl sustained a puncture wound to her lung during the incident, although it’s unclear whether she was shot or stabbed. She is expected to survive.

Police haven’t released a description of the boy who fired into the crowd, nor has he been apprehended. Although the motive remains unclear, they maintain the shooting was not a hate crime and are not considering it to be connected to the Pride events that finished only hours before.

Queer NYC community reacts as motive remains unclear

Writing on X, New York State Assembly member Deborah Glick, a lesbian who was the state legislature’s first openly LGBTQ+ member, said the incident “sends a chill to all LGBTQ community members”.

After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations— this year gun fire & 2 people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere. Guns are a problem despite all the NRA BS.

— (((Deborah Glick))) (@DeborahJGlick) June 30, 2025

“After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations— this year gun fire & 2 people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere. Guns are a problem despite all the NRA BS.”

Christopher Street Project, a local trans advocacy organisation, released a statement on on Bluesky demanding “accountability for the hateful rhetoric that fuels attacks on queer and trans lives.”

“As we await more information, we emphasize what we know to be true: those spewing violent rhetoric against queer and trans people must be held accountable for the climate of hate they create,” the group said. “We demand justice, safety, and dignity for all LGBTQ+ people, everywhere.”

Meanwhile, The Stonewall Inn, considered one of the birthplaces of the modern gay liberation movement, has not released a statement on the shooting, although co-owner Stacy Lentz has criticised reporting framing the incident as a hate crime.

“Calling this the Stonewall shooting is media click bait!” she wrote in the Instagram comments of a post from them. “It happened at a supermarket a few blocks away and had nothing to do with Stonewall!”