3 Residents Shot After Graffiti Painters Rebuked

Residents who confronted and sent away gang members painting graffiti on a wall across the street from their home were shot at in a retaliation that left three people wounded early Tuesday, authorities said. The incident began shortly after midnight when the residents in the 400 block of Isabel Street in Cypress Park confronted young men painting graffiti on a wall across the street from their home, Sgt. J.J. Cerniglia said.

“They went outside and told them to knock it off,” Cerniglia said. “The suspects left, and a short time later (as) the victims were inside their residence, these apparent suspects fired into the residence and happened to hit three people,” he said.

The 12:35 a.m. gunfire, believed to be from a shotgun, left two men and a woman with minor gunshot wounds, he said. The victims, whose names were not released, were treated at a hospital.

Two boys, ages 15 and 16, were later arrested and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.