Three men were shot, one fatally, in a pair of separate shootings in the East Village and on the Lower East Side in about an hour’s time between Sunday night and early Monday morning.
The first incident occurred in Alphabet City at about 11:20 p.m. on May 15, when a 39-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to the head at 327 East 3rd St. The victim was transported to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Officers from the 9th Precinct, in responding to a 911 call about a man possibly shot, found Brandon Atkinson, a resident of East 231st Street in the Bronx, wounded at the scene. EMS rushed him to Bellevue Hospital, where he died.
Members of the 9th Precinct cordoned-off the area while detectives investigated the circumstances of this shooting by interviewing locals and store owners.
Juan Mendoza, 37, told amNewYork Metro that he was inside his apartment when he heard several gunshots ring out near the corner of East 3rd Street and Avenue D.
“I looked out the window and this kid is laying right there. So, I came downstairs, and I was in the elevator, and I started calling the cops. The cops were already arriving at the scene by the time I was getting out of my building,” Mendoza said, a member of the Henry Street Settlement community organization.
Mendoza said he was slightly shaken since he was just about to leave his home when heard the shots. He also recalled seeing EMS attempt to resuscitate the victim.
So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation, police said Monday.
Double Shooting on Cherry Street
Not long after the East Village homicide, two men were shot at about 12:20 a.m. near a parking lot in the vicinity of Rutgers and Cherry Streets on the Lower East Side.
Police received a report of three suspects exiting a silver sedan before unleashing a hail of bullets at a group of individuals. The suspects then jumped back into their vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Authorities said two men sustained gunshot wounds; a 19-year-old was wounded in the arm while a 22-year-old was hit in the leg. Both men were taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Police say that it is currently unknown if the two shootings are related. No suspects have been arrested in either incident and both investigations are still ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the shootings can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
