Posted on August 26, 2014

Woman Hit in Head with Pellet Gun in Alleged Hate Crime While Walking Through Central Park: Police

Danielle Schlanger et al., NY Daily News, August 23, 2014

A 36-year-old woman walking through Central Park was shot in the back of the head with a pellet gun in an apparent hate crime, police said Saturday.

The shaken victim told the Daily News she was leaving the park at W. 60th St. and West Drive about 12:05 a.m. Monday when she strolled past a group of black youths.

The two men and three women–all in their late teens or early 20s–said nothing as they passed by. But moments later, the woman felt a “horrible pain” in the back of her head.

“My hand went up to my head, and there was blood gushing everywhere,” said the woman, who asked to be identified only as Hanna.

“I turned around, and I said, ‘What are you doing? Why are you doing this to me? What’s wrong with you people?’”

One of the women immediately unleashed a barrage of racial epithets.

“F— you, you f—— white b—-,” the woman hissed, Hanna recalled.

Then one of the men popped his head out from behind a tree and joined in the racially fueled verbal attack.

“All white people suck,” the man hollered. “F— white people.”

The group fled, leaving Hanna bloodied and in tears.

“I was starting to go into shock,” she said. “There was a lot of blood.”

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{snip} The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.

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