Teenage girl struck by stray bullet inside her home in Queens
ST. ALBANS, Queens (WABC) -- A teenage girl in Queens has become New York City's latest victim of gun violence, struck by a stray bullet in her own home.
It happened just after 11 p.m. Tuesday on 113th Road, just off Francis Lewis Boulevard, in St. Albans.
Police say three men opened fire on one another in the middle of the street, and at least 26 shots were fired in the shootout.
None of them was believed to have been injured, and all of the suspects escaped, but several bullets came flying through the home.
Video showed multiple holes in the front door and one hole in a back wall in the family living room.
One of the bullets went through a window, hitting 15-year-old Tamima Samira in the right shin.
She was rushed to Long Island Jewish Children's Hospital in stable condition.
She was treated and released, and she is expected to make a full recovery.
At this point, police do not believe she was the intended target.
The girls' father, Mohammad Hossain, talked about the larger issue of gun violence in America.
"This is not anybody's single problem," he said. "This is the whole community's problem, our whole country's problem. So we have to think about, everybody, how to solve this problem."
Hossain told reporters his family is relieved because it could have been worse.
"She's in very good condition," he said. "She has one bullet on the right side of her leg, and it was a nice surgery with a nice doctor in the hospital. We are happy about that. It is a nice condition right now."
Neighbors heard the shots and called 911.
"It could have been one of us," one neighbor said. "Any one of us in the neighborhood."
It is the latest in a string of shootings of innocent people, and neighbors are concerned.
"I'm worried about my safety and also my family," one resident said. "What might happen while we're out?"
The NYPD says shootings are actually down this year, with close to 40% in the 113th Precinct compared to the same time last year.
So far. there have been no arrests, and anyone with information is urged to contact police.
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