As police seek the gunmen behind Saturday night’s mass shooting in Queens that left 10 injured, the NYPD also needs the public’s help in finding four brazen suspects involved in a Washington Heights shootout that same evening.
Police released on Sunday evening video footage of the four men who traded shots and injured three bystanders during the shootout that erupted at about 11:10 p.m. on July 31 near the Marte Grocery at 362 Audubon Ave.
According to law enforcement sources, the four men had engaged in a dispute outside of the location. The video footage shows one man, while armed with a handgun, walking inside the Marte Grocery store, pursued by three other men, several of whom were also seen on camera holding firearms.
As seen in the footage, one armed man walked behind the store counter, apparently attempting to seek safety. The three other culprits then walked out of the store. The footage shows the armed man behind the counter with a female worker cowering next to him in apparent fear of being shot.
Seconds later, the footage cuts to the store’s exterior as the man, who had been behind the counter, exited the location. Gunfire then breaks out, sending a group of people gathered outside the location running for their lives.
Officers from the 32nd Precinct, in responding to a 911 call about the shooting, arrived at the scene to find three victims: a 42-year-old woman who had been shot in her left arm; a 58-year-old woman hit shot in the buttocks; and a 78-year-old man wounded in his left arm and abdomen.
The victims were taken to Columbia Presbyterian and Harlem Hospital and listed in stable condition, police said.
The footage clearly shows three of the four men involved in the shootout. Their images are shown below; police did not provide a physical description of the perpetrators.
Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts 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.
