Six people were shot Saturday night into Sunday morning as citywide gun violence rages on. One of the shootings, which claimed a man’s life, happened a few blocks away from a Brooklyn peace march that Mayor Bill de Blasio attended in Brooklyn on Saturday night.
The victim, a 23-year-old man, was shot twice in the leg and once in the stomach in front of the Fly E-Bike store at 662 Nostrand Ave. in Bedford Stuyvesant at about 4 p.m. on July 18, according to the 77th Precinct. The victim later died at Kings County Hospital.
Police have not yet established a motive for the deadly shooting. Law enforcement sources described the suspect as a Black man in his 50s wearing dark clothing, who fled on a motorcycle.
Detectives at the scene recovered shell casings outside the Fly E-Bike store, where police set up a crime scene looking for clues. The shop is very popular with the community, providing e-bikes to delivery people and residents.
The shooting happened only five blocks away from where the mayor took the stage for the start of Saturday’s Cease Fire Peace Walk, organized by New York Knicks player Taj Gibson. Hundreds attended the event. The march occurred about a half-hour after the shooting.
Mayor Bill de Blasio speaking at Cease Fire Peace March in Bed-Stuy at the corner or Marcy Avenue and Fulton right where the neighborhood’s BLM mural begins. pic.twitter.com/CrBvthil2k
— Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech (@AODNewz) July 18, 2020
Five other people were shot in other incidents, including two men in one incident hours later not far from the march.
Here’s a rundown of shootings in the city:
July 18, 9:30 p.m. – Two men were shot in front of 487 Carlton Ave. at the the Atlantic Terminal Houses, a NYCHA development in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. A 39-year-old victim was shot in the leg, and a 36-year-old was shot in the back. Both were rushed to Methodist Hospital in stable condition.
There was no description of the suspects at this time and no motive, according to members of the 88th Precinct.
July 19, 3:30 a.m. – A 23-year-old man was shot in the right leg in front of 416 Chester St. in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was taken to Brookdale University Medical Center by private vehicle. A crime scene was set up, but police say the victim has provided no description at this time.
July 19, 4 a.m. – An unidentified man was found shot in the leg in front of 1288 Herkimer St. in Brownsville by police from the 73rd Precinct. Police believe he may be connected to the shooting on Chester Street.
July 19, 4:10 a.m. – An 18-year-old male was found shot in the groin in front of 231 Westwood Ave. in Staten Island. Officers from the 122nd Precinct found the victim critically wounded and EMS rushed him to Staten Island University Hospital, where he is still listed in critical condition. No arrests or description at this time of the suspects.
There was also reports of shots fired and spend shell casings found in the East Tremont section of the Bronx, Jamaica Queens, and Red Hook, Brooklyn. Police were checking hospitals for any people showing up with gunshot wounds.
Much of the shootings have been attributed to gang warfare, though officials also say there has been a massive proliferation of guns on the streets, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic; at one point, 20% of the entire NYPD was out with the virus.
Law enforcement sources further blame the huge resources being needed to work the sustained protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis cops in May.
Anyone with information in regard to any of these shootings is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
