The husband of a 37-year-old woman hit by a stray bullet in the Bronx says it was like her “hand exploded” when she was shot in a stunning random incidence of crime that he believes city officials should have prevented.
The woman was in her first-floor apartment on Troy Avenue near Dean Street around 1:20 a.m. when gunfire suddenly reverberated through the neighborhood and she realized she’d been shot in the hand, her husband, Jamal, told The Post.
“She was just screaming, ‘Oh my God, I feel like my hand exploded,’” said the husband, who declined to give his last name or age.
“There was blood everywhere.”
At the time, Jamal was asleep on the couch after dozing off while watching Netflix and the couple’s three young children were sleeping in their room.
“All of a sudden we heard a loud pow. I jumped up and I went to look out the window. I naturally thought it came from the front … before I could turn around, she came running out the room saying that her hand felt like it exploded,” Jamal recalled.
A bullet fired from the street traveled through the couple’s bedroom window, struck the woman in the hand and then a dresser before it lodged in the wall, Jamal explained.
He said he has “no idea” how the shooting happened but now his wife will need to get surgery on her hand next week.
“Her hand is fractured, the bones are fractured. Both of those are split,” he said, pointing between his ring and middle finger.
“She’s doing OK. She’s doing fine.”
When asked what he wants the NYPD and Mayor Eric Adams to do about gun violence, Jamal kept it simple.
“Just do their job,” he said.
Neighbors were shocked to hear about the incident.
“This can happen to anyone,” said a neighbor who heard the gunshot and was too afraid to give their name.
“It’s scary that this happens when you’re sleeping … If it’s not targeted, it’s very scary.”
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
Additional reporting by Tina Moore