A fatal shooting and an unrelated stabbing unfolded minutes apart Wednesday night, bringing police to two nearby East New York locations.
NEW YORK — A 17-year-old boy was killed and three teenage girls were injured in two separate acts of violence that unfolded minutes apart Wednesday night in East New York, prompting police investigations at nearby locations and renewed concern among residents.
Police identified the shooting victim as Ahmir Jordan, 17. He was shot shortly after 8:20 p.m. Aug. 19 near 514 New Lots Ave. Investigators said gunfire followed a dispute involving two men, but authorities have not said Jordan took part in that confrontation or disclosed who was being targeted. Two men wearing dark clothing and blue surgical-style masks fled the area, police said.
About 10 minutes later, officers were called to a Dollar Tree on Van Siclen Avenue, less than a half-mile away, where three teenage girls had been injured in a separate attack. Police said a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old suffered stab wounds and a 16-year-old suffered a slash wound. The younger girls were taken to a hospital in stable condition, while the 16-year-old was treated at the scene.
Police have said the shooting and the Dollar Tree attack are not believed to be connected. Their close timing and proximity nevertheless brought multiple emergency responses to East New York on the same evening, with teenagers among the victims in both cases.
In the Dollar Tree case, police arrested 44-year-old Viola Bouyer at the scene. Authorities said the attack followed a dispute. Bouyer was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon. The charges are allegations, and the case will proceed through the court system.
The shooting investigation remained open. Police said Jordan was struck in the head and died from his injuries. A 35-year-old man also suffered a minor injury involving broken glass during the gunfire and was taken to a hospital. Investigators were seen examining the New Lots Avenue scene and interviewing possible witnesses after the shooting.
Surveillance footage showed two people dressed in black running from the area around the time Jordan was shot. Police said the men being sought were last seen heading south on Bradford Street. Detectives have not announced a motive, identified an intended target or publicly established what connection, if any, Jordan had to the dispute that preceded the shooting.
By the following day, much of the immediate police activity had cleared from the neighborhood, but signs of the shooting remained at the New Lots Avenue location. Residents interviewed after the violence described unease over seeing teenagers caught in two serious incidents within such a short period.
The cases came as East New York had already experienced other shootings involving young people during the summer. In July, a 17-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man were wounded in gunfire outside a McDonald’s on Pennsylvania Avenue. Investigators in that case said shots had been directed toward teenagers near a vehicle, and no immediate motive was announced.
The incidents are separate investigations, and police have not presented evidence tying them to a broader pattern or to one another. The circumstances of Jordan’s death remain under investigation, while the Van Siclen Avenue case moved into the criminal court process following Bouyer’s arrest.
No arrest had been announced in Jordan’s killing as of Saturday. Police continued to search for the two men who fled the New Lots Avenue scene and had not publicly resolved the motive or identified the intended target of the gunfire.
Author note: Last updated August 22, 2026.