Bullets flew on a summery night in New York City between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, leaving a man dead and seven other victims — including an 8-year-old boy — seriously injured.
Law enforcement sources said the homicide happened in Brooklyn, where a 33-year-old man was found shot dead inside a building on Church Avenue near East 32nd Street in Flatbush at about 10:37 p.m. on May 19.
The circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery. Sources familiar with the investigation said that 67th Precinct officers, in responding to a 911 call at the location, found the victim unconscious and unresponsive in an office chair, with a bullet wound to his chest.
EMS rushed the victim to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Though the victim’s identity has yet to be released, pending family notification, law enforcement sources said the man did not live at the location.
No arrests have been made, thus far, in the ongoing investigation.
Earlier on Wednesday night, an 8-year-old boy and two other victims were injured in an apparent drive-by shooting in Queens, police said.
According to authorities, the gunfire erupted at about 9:30 p.m. on May 19 in front of a home on 178th Street near 119th Road in St. Albans.
Law enforcement sources said the three victims were among a group of people gathered in front of the location when an unknown shooter inside a dark-colored sedan pulled up to the location and fired a number of rounds before fleeing.
Cops said the 8-year-old boy was struck in the left shoulder, while his father, a 39-year-old man, took gunshot wounds to his right arm, right leg and right thigh. A third victim, a 57-year-old man not connected to the father and son, wound up being grazed in the ankle, police said.
Officers from the 113th Precinct and EMS units responded to the shooting. All three victims were rushed to Jamaica Hospital for treatment of injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Presently, detectives are investigating a possible link to the shooting with local gang activity. A source familiar with the investigation said the 39-year-old man is known to the department with “an extensive arrest history,” but it’s unclear, at this time, whether he was the intended target.
So far, no arrests have been made in the case, police said.
Police reported three additional, non-fatal shootings between Wednesday night and Thursday morning in the Bronx, East Harlem and Brooklyn.
May 19, 11:30 p.m., Longwood, Bronx
A 36-year-old man was shot in the right hand during a dispute with an unidentified man at the corner of East 163rd and Kelly Streets, police said. The victim was treated at Lincoln Hospital.
During a search for the shooter, officers from the 41st Precinct picked up Daniel Rivas, 33, of Intervale Avenue, and took him into custody after they allegedly found a loaded firearm in his possession.
It’s unclear, however, whether he’s linked to this incident, police sources said.
May 19, 11:31 p.m., East Harlem
Two men were shot by an unidentified gunman at the corner of West 113th Street and Lenox Avenue (Malcolm X Boulevard).
Officers from NYPD PSA 6 found the first victim, a 41-year-old man, shot in the stomach at the intersection. EMS rushed him to Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital, where he’s listed in stable condition.
Moments later, police learned that the second victim, a 42-year-old man, had walked into Harlem Hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg.
Neither man knows who shot him, authorities said; both victims told police that they had heard shots and felt pain. No arrests have been made in the case.
May 20, 12:30 a.m., Crown Heights, Brooklyn
An unidentified gunman shot a 53-year-old man near the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Park Place. EMS brought the victim to Kings County Hospital in stable condition.
According to law enforcement sources, the victim told members of the 77th Precinct that he had heard shots and felt pain. No arrests have been made in the case.
Bronx robber fires at cops
Meanwhile, the search continues for an armed robber who traded shots with police officers following a cellphone store heist in the Bronx on Wednesday night, but avoided being captured.
Authorities said the trouble began at at about 6:50 p.m. on May 19, when officers from the 42nd Precinct responded to a call about a robbery in progress at a Boost mobile store located near the corner of East 174th Street and Bryant Avenue in Charlotte Gardens.
Moments later, police said, the officers encountered a male suspect who attempted to flee the store. When they ordered him to stop, law enforcement sources said, the perpetrator ignored their commands, pulled out a gun and began firing at the officers.
In response, the officers fired a number of rounds at the suspect. No one was shot during the exchange.
Police said the suspect managed to throw his gun away and fled the scene. The two officers who fired their weapons were taken to Jacobi Hospital for treatment of tinnitus.
The perpetrator remains at large at this time, police said.
Anyone with information regarding any of the shootings can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
