A teen was shot in the head in what cops believe may have been a targeted attack at a Staten Island playground Friday, police and sources said.
The boy, who sources say is 13 years old, was shot by two masked gunmen just before 4 p.m. around Fulton and Warren streets near the Stapleton Houses, according to cops.
A nearby elementary school had to be put on lockdown.
“I heard gunshots and my friends were panicking. We all sat down quietly,” a second grader at PS 78 told The Post.
“The teacher told us to be quiet. He told us to go under our seats. ‘Don’t move, don’t make no noise. I need to keep you guys safe,’” the little girl said.
“Everyone, my friends, were panicking. One girl was crying. I was scared.”
EMS rushed the youth to Richmond University Hospital, where he was in critical condition.
One witness told The Post that the victim “didn’t look good” while EMTs were performing CPR.
“Seeing that stuff is very traumatic. You see a kid laying there … a bunch of other kids around wondering if their friend is going to survive or not,” said Mike Perry, 40.
“Just imagine what those kids are going through, the trauma they have to live through,” added Perry, 40, who works as a violence interrupter.
Another violence interrupter, Malcolm Penn, confirmed that the young boy is an 8th grader at The Eagle Academy for Young Men of Staten Island in the Clifton neighborhood.
Penn described the teenager as a “bright, energetic kid just full of life.”
“He’s a kid from this community. I knew him from coming out, playing basketball, being out in the park. He’s very energetic in the schools. For the most part, he’s an energetic, good kid.”
Cops believe the young teen was targeted.
Police tape was blocking off the handball and basketball courts on the playground.
It was unclear how many times he was shot or how many bullets were fired.
