One of those truth is stranger than fiction things from the NYTimes.<\/p>\n
\nStep Right Up, Live Human Target <\/h4>\n
By MAREK FUCHS <\/p>\n
Aiming a ball at a target to drop a clown into a tub of water is old school at the Coney Island Boardwalk. Now people eagerly shoot the Freak. <\/p>\n
The Freak, as signs and the barker say, is a live human target. <\/p>\n
Coney Island has seen a lot, from real-life crime to the Painproof Rubber Girl. But even in a place where trouble and cheap spectacle are the norm, “Shoot the Freak” has been turning heads. <\/p>\n
Up to six customers at a time can stand on the Boardwalk, a few yards from Stillwell Avenue, and aim their rifles down an alley filled with trash and concrete bits. There, one finds the Freak, darting and dodging. <\/p>\n
He is dressed in a combination of hockey, baseball and bicycling protective gear, making him look like a creature of some post-urban nightmare. Periodically, he stands still and takes one in the chest, or the forehead. The customers are firing paint pellets, and as they hit the Freak, there’s a short snapping sound and a small spray of mist. Think of it as a video game come to life. <\/p>\n