False Reports of Sniper Briefly Send Flatbush Residents Into Panic

BROOKLYN

Residents of Flatbush were briefly sent into a panic over false social-media reports of a sniper at Ave. J and East 15th Street early Wednesday afternoon.

The report of a sniper was quickly relayed throughout the community, and the rumors expanded to include reports of yeshivos in the area going into lockdown.

What actually happened, Robert Moskovitz, executive coordinator of Flatbush Shomrim, told Hamodia, is that “several young people were playing with weapons in an apartment at Ave. J and East 15th Street, when one of them, a 16-year-old black male, accidentally shot himself.”

The rumors about a sniper were so widespread that Misaskim immediately issued an alert to the community, which said, “There are messages going out that schools are on lockdown for a possible sniper in the area. As per the NYPD, this is not true; it’s a contained event under investigation.”

Rabbi Yanky Meyer of Misaskim told Hamodia that the rumors about a sniper did not come from any official source. People “on the street that don’t know the facts of a story just send out these alerts and put unnecessary fear into the community when something like this happens,” he said.

70th Precinct police arrested three young males, including the victim, and confiscated weapons, according to Moskovitz.

“Rumors go viral, but the truth is that at no point was anyone in our community in danger,” said Moskovitz. “It’s important to know that this was taken care of immediately by the 70th precinct. They did an outstanding job in apprehending the suspects and in calming the nerves of the community.”

The shooter/victim was taken to a local hospital.

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