Thirteen people, including a 3-year-old boy, were shot in a Chicago park — and police sources in the Big Apple fear similar bloodshed here as NYPD cops become increasingly handcuffed by the recent stop-and-frisk ruling.
On Thursday night, gangbangers — including at least one armed with a high-powered military-style rifle — opened fire near Cornell Square Park in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, police say.
The gunmen were still at large on Friday.
Sources in New York predicted that the chances of a similar mass shooting here will increase with the layers of oversight a federal judge has imposed on the NYPD.
“Absolutely, a massive shooting like that could happen here. It’s definitely not uncommon,” an NYPD source said.
“There are a lot of guns out there, and we’re not allowed to take them off the street anymore.”
Shootings “will be trending upwards,” the source predicted.
Cops are already feeling the pressure of Manhattan federal Judge Shira Scheindlin’s ruling in August that the NYPD’s use of stop-and-frisk was unconstitutional and violated the rights of minorities in the city.
She appointed a federal monitor and facilitator and named 13 law professors with no police experience to assist them.
“Word has trickled down to the street that it’s OK to carry a gun, that the cops are no longer going to stop you,” the NYPD source said.
“The perps are getting bolder, and we could turn into Chicago.”
In the Windy City shooting, one bullet slammed into the head of a 3-year-old boy, who was listed in critical condition at a hospital.
The other victims, who all survived, ranged in age from 15 to 41. Most were listed in stable condition.