Mother of NYC playground shooting victim speaks out: 'I'm just lost for words'

BROOKLYN - The mother of a young girl who was caught in a crossfire in NYC after shots rang out at a Brooklyn playground is speaking out.

The shooting happened on Monday just after 9 p.m. at Hilltop Playground, near Dean Street and Saratoga Avenue in the Brownsville section.

The girls – who are cousins – were the unintended targets of what investigators say may be a gang war. The mother of the 9-year-old and aunt of the 11-year-old is still processing what happened. She asked FOX 5 NY not to show her face out of fear for her family's safety.

"I'm just lost for words," she said. "I'm overwhelmed. I haven't slept, I haven't ate, I'm stressed out. I'm just everything what a mother could be, you know that that's hurting. That's the reason right now."

According to police, the girls were on the field with a parent watching them from a nearby bench when at least half a dozen bullets were fired by two people using different caliber guns.

"A preliminary investigation reveals that there were possibly two shooters that fired at least six rounds in the direction the children were playing," Assistant Chief Scott Henderson said.

The 9-year-old was shot in the knee. She’s at home with her mom recovering.

"Thank God that I'm not planning a funeral," her mother said. "She's gonna live. I just want my daughter to get better, and I'm just trying to take further steps for how to keep us safe, how to keep her, you know, mentally sane. Because she's only 9 years old. She's never dealt with this. I've never dealt with in my life."

Both girls are expected to make full recoveries. Police say so far, there have been no arrests.