The shots rang out inside the Rugged Sole shoe store on 298 Utica Avenue in Crown Heights around 7:30, hitting a 12-year-old in the right leg and striking a 34-year-old man. Both victims were rushed to Kings County Hospital, where they are expected to survive.
As for why a sneaker store turned into shooting range, police report it all began with some kind of dispute in the shop, which somehow ended in a shootout.
Police believe the 12-year-old was an innocent bystander, and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is not clear if the young boy is related to the 34-year-old who was shot.
Police say a 45-year-old man has been charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.
Detectives believe the gunman fled the scene. He is described as a 21-year-old in gray jeans.
---