Two men indicted on 88 counts after July 4 Coney Island shooting injures eight

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that Robert Smith and Kevin Blunt, each 44, have been indicted on a total of 88 counts, ranging from attempted murder to assault, for a July 4 gunfire incident at a Coney Island barbecue. According to prosecutors, after Smith's firearm jammed, Blunt assisted in clearing it, allowing Smith to fire roughly 15 shots into a courtyard filled with families. The barrage injured eight individuals, including four boys aged six, seven, 12 and 14, and four adults aged 21, 25, 33 and 37; all were transported to local hospitals, with the youngest adult initially reported in critical condition.

A 10-week-old puppy named Sky was also shot and died. Gonzalez noted that the absence of a fatality does not lessen the alleged brutality. Blunt was formally arraigned on August 3, and Smith was arraigned on a Wednesday following the indictment.