Eight wounded in July 4 shooting at Coney Island family barbecue, prosecutors say
The Brooklyn district attorney described a barrage of gunfire into a courtyard where families were celebrating the Fourth of July; two defendants are in custody.
2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 15, 2026, 6:21 p.m. ET
Earlier reports
Aug 15, 2026, 6:21 p.m. ETFirst report
Two men in custody after Coney Island courtyard shooting that wounded eight on July 4
Eight people were wounded in a shooting at a family barbecue in the courtyard of a residential building near Surf Avenue and West 30th Street in Coney Island, Brooklyn, at around 10:30 p.m. on July 4, 2026, according to the Brooklyn district attorney's office as reported by Gothamist. Those in the courtyard were families celebrating the Fourth of July.
No one was killed, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said, according to Gothamist. "The fact that no person was killed is extraordinary, but it does not diminish the alleged recklessness and brutality of this attack," Gonzalez said, describing "a barrage of gunfire into a courtyard packed with families celebrating the Fourth of July."
Prosecutors allege about 15 shots were fired into the gathering, and the district attorney's office said a gun used in the shooting appeared to jam.
The Brooklyn district attorney's office identified the two men as Robert Smith, 44, and Kevin Blunt, 44. Both are in custody. Prosecutors said the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force apprehended Smith on July 8. Gothamist reported that Smith was arraigned on a Wednesday, a day the reporting does not tie to a calendar date, and that Blunt was arraigned on Aug. 3. "We will now seek to hold both defendants fully accountable for the devastation they are accused of causing," Gonzalez said.
The account of the shooting provided by the district attorney's office and reported by Gothamist does not identify the eight people who were wounded or describe their conditions, and it states no motive. The specific charges the two men face are not stated in that account.
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Revision history
- Version 115 Aug 2026, 22:21current
First published.
- Version 115 Aug 2026, 23:26current
First published.
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