Three men are dead, eight others were wounded in shootings across Brooklyn and the Bronx between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, police officials said.
Law enforcement sources said one of the fatalities, in Brooklyn, resulted from an apparent road rage incident, while the other slayings, in the Bronx, appeared to stem from personal disputes.
The violence continued unabated as hundreds continued to demonstrate against the police in various parts of Manhattan last night. The march was peaceful; no arrests, looting, vandalism or violence of any kind were reported.
Road rage on the parkway
As for the shootings, the first took place in Brooklyn at 4:39 p.m. on Aug. 28 as a motorist was exiting the Jackie Robinson Parkway in a blue Toyota Corolla into East New York, Brooklyn.
While the details of this case are still murky, police believe a black SUV with three Black men pulled up along side the Corolla, being operated by a 26-year-old man. Someone inside the SUV opened fire, striking the victim in the upper chest.
The vehicle then sped away as the wounded driver exited the highway and crashed opposite 1675 Bushwick Ave., authorities reported.
Officers from the 75th Precinct responded to the crash and found the victim unconscious. Paramedics rushed him to Brookdale Hospital, but he could not be saved.
Law enforcement sources believe the man may have been involved in a road rage incident with the occupants of a black SUV, with the driver wearing a red hat. A witness reported damage to the driver’s side door, but it is unclear whether the Toyota made contact with that vehicle.
Two hours later, police found a white Maserati parked in the middle of Broadway and Rockaway Avenues, blocks from this shooting with a bullet hole in the driver’s side window.
Police now believe this vehicle may have somehow been involved in the shooting, and may have been targeted while on the Jackie Robinson Parkway. Detectives were still trying to figure out the connection between the two incidents.
‘Stupid s–t’ led to deadly shooting
The second homicide occurred in the Bronx at 5:56 p.m. on Aug. 28 at East 173rd Street and Longfellow Avenue in Soundview, in which two men in a violent dispute began shooting at each other.
Law enforcement sources said the two men engaged in a running gun battle, one man in the middle of 173rd Street and the other on the sidewalk, retreating into an alley way for cover. The gun battle forced nearby women and children to run for cover, according to witnesses.
Officers from the 42nd Precinct found one of the men shot in the head and chest. EMS rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, but he could not be saved.
A second man, also 27, was found nearby shot in the right shoulder and also taken to St Barnabas Hospital. He is being questioned by police in this case and charges are pending.
A gun was found at the scene of the shooting.
Detectives sealed the street, which was littered with spent shells. Family and friends began arriving, one young man in tears when he heard what had happened, he began sobbing, “my brother, my brother.”
While most were comforting the sobbing man, others were visibly angry and would man could be heard vowing revenge.
Residents of the block say this street has been relatively quiet, but surrounding areas have had bursts of violence.
“I have two children and I’m worried because my kids could’ve been hit by those bullets,” said one woman who wouldn’t be identified. “I wanted to move out of here but I just don’t have enough money to go somewhere else.”
Detectives on scene said it did not appear to be gang related, but one said, “it’s about real stupid s–t. One guy disses another and then they start shooting. It’s almost nothing more complicated.”
One woman said she knew the man who had been shot and his family had lived on the fifth floor.
“They got kicked out by the landlord because they were dealing drugs,” said the woman who didn’t want to be identified. “There was always something going on up there. But they were still around the neighborhood.”
The third homicide occurred at 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 29, when officers from the 42nd Precinct rushed to a call of a man shot in front of 1133 Boston Road, close to where the Soundview homicide occurred on Friday.
Arriving officers found a 34-year-old man shot in the leg and a 54-year-old with a graze wound to the ankle. EMS took both to Lincoln Hospital, but the 34-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival. The older man was reported in stable condition.
Detectives are investigating whether this shooting may have been connected to the other homicide.
Other shootings overnight
Aug. 28, 8 p.m. – A 25-year-old man walked into Kings County Hospital with a gunshot wound to the left arm and torso, apparently from East 42nd Street and Church Avenue in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.
The victim told detectives from the 67th Precinct Detective Squad that he was standing at the location when he heard shots and felt pain. A grey sedan was seen speeding away.
Aug. 29, 2 a.m. – A 35-year-old man was shot in the buttocks in front of 761 Marcy Ave. in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Members of the 79th Precinct received a ShotSpotter activation and found the victim at the scene.
He was taken to Methodist Hospital in stable condition. The victim told police he had no idea where the shots came from.
Aug. 29, 2:45 a.m. – A 32-year-old man was found shot in the buttocks at 710 Tinton Ave. in the Adams Houses, a NYCHA development in the Bronx. Officers from the 40th Precinct said they believe the shooting was the result of an apparent home invasion, but did not provide further information this case. Police reported that no property was taken.
Aug. 29, 4:40 a.m. – An unidentified man walked into Bronx Lebanon Hospital with an undisclosed gunshot wound, according to the 46th Precinct. No further information was available.
Aug. 29, 3:09 a.m. – A 42-year-old man is in very critical condition after he was shot multiple times in the torso in front of 1509 White Plains Road in the Bronx. Officers from the 43rd Precinct are holding a 34-year-old man in connection with the shooting with charges pending.
The victim was said to be holding on to life at St. Barnabas Hospital. Details on this shooting are forthcoming.
