On October 8, police responded to a report of a shooting near Maria Hernandez Park.

A police spokesperson said that on Thursday afternoon, “Uniformed police officers were in the vicinity of 202 Starr Street investigating an unrelated incident in the nearby park when shots were fired approximately a half block away.”

At the scene, police found that “a 54-year-old male was shot in the left leg,” who, as of Friday, remains at the hospital in stable condition.

A police spokesperson did not release the name of the victim. Hunter Boone, a nearby resident, said the victim went by the name Tree, and that he often saw him “playing Evanescence and Linkin Park on his big speaker.”

This comes during a year in which shooting incidents are down across the city and Bushwick. Statistics published by the NYPD show that citywide crime is down more than 6%, maintaining a decades-long drop in crime rates. This month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced historically low murder rates as a sign of citywide safety, but Bushwick seems to be bucking citywide crime trends.

In the NYPD’s 83rd Precinct, which covers Bushwick, murders and shooting incidents are down, but total crime is up 15%, with a notable spike in felony assaults (a 35.2% increase).

Across North Brooklyn and Ridgewood, the picture is more mixed. The 104th Precinct, covering Ridgewood, Glendale, and Middle Village, reported a 2.33% year-over-year increase. The 81st Precinct, covering eastern Bed-Stuy, showed a negligible 0.72% drop in crime.

Per police, no arrests have been made, and the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Photo provided by Hunter Boone.