🔫 The Gutter Report: Harlem Cop-Involved Shootout Leaves 2 Teens Wounded
Two 15-year-olds caught in crossfire as NYPD breaks up gun battle in East Harlem
The Scene in Harlem
Chaos broke out Monday evening around East 123rd Street and 2nd Avenue, right outside the Wagner Houses in East Harlem. NYPD officers, fresh off another call, heard gunfire echoing through the block. What they ran into was a street gunfight involving two 15-year-olds and an 18-year-old already facing attempted murder charges.
🚨 Police and EMS swarm East 123rd Street after Monday night’s Harlem shooting.
Who Got Hit
Both teens are just 15. One took a bullet to the leg, the other to the knee. Both were rushed to Harlem Hospital and are expected to survive. Police cuffed one of the teens on the spot, alleging he was part of the gun battle.
The 18-year-old — identified as Damien Calhoun — was also grabbed. Officers say he had a gun on him and was the one squeezing off rounds before the cops opened fire.
👮🏼♂️ NYPD brass address the media, displaying the weapon recovered from the 18-year-old suspect.
NYPD’s Role Under Scrutiny
Here’s the twist: investigators don’t even know if the NYPD’s own bullets struck the teens, or if they were hit by rival fire in the shootout. The Force Investigation Division has the case, combing through ballistics and body cam footage to piece together who pulled the trigger that actually did the damage.
🔫 Police show the seized handgun, marked with graffiti-style stickers.
And until that answer comes, the headlines are split: were these teens shot by cops, or by the streets they were standing in?
The Law That Let Him Walk
The piece that’s already sparking outrage? Calhoun, the 18-year-old, had pleaded guilty to attempted murder in July. Because of New York’s controversial Raise the Age law, he was still on the street — waiting for the system to sort him out.
Critics say the law kept a repeat shooter out of a cell and put Harlem back in the line of fire. Supporters argue the law is designed to rehabilitate young offenders instead of throwing them away. Now the debate isn’t in Albany — it’s on the block, where two kids are bandaged up with gunshot wounds.
Community Fallout
Residents of East Harlem are shaken but not surprised. Wagner Houses has seen its share of gun violence, and people know the tension between police accountability and community safety isn’t going anywhere. Some neighbors are asking: why did the cops shoot when kids were in the line of fire? Others are saying: if cops hadn’t stepped in, more bodies would’ve dropped.
🚧 Detectives and TARU officers lock down the block, canvassing for evidence and witnesses.
No matter which side you’re on, the fact is two 15-year-olds are healing from bullets, one is cuffed, and another young man with a violent record is back in custody.
Closing Word
Whether those bullets came from blue uniforms or teenage hands, Harlem is bleeding just the same. What happened Monday night isn’t just another shooting — it’s a mirror. It reflects a city torn between laws meant to protect kids, and streets where those same kids can end up pulling the trigger.
Good morning and Godspeed.
— Elliott Carterr
