Bullets flew near a Randall’s Island migrant shelter early on Monday morning, leaving one woman dead and two other people seriously wounded in the triple shooting.
The gun violence occurred a week after a similar shooting outside a Brooklyn migrant shelter left two people dead, and a shaken community demanding action.
According to police sources, the shots on Randall’s Island rang out at approximately 3:30 a.m. on July 29 on Field 71, about 1,000 feet away from Field 83, where the city set up its Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC) for migrants last fall.
A gunman is believed to have opened fire, striking a 44-year-old woman in the back and face and a 32-year-old man to the throat. A 31-year-old woman also suffered a gunshot wound to the back.
Sources familiar with the investigation report that victims were Venezuelan migrants celebrating their native homeland’s election when the shooting occurred.
Police say the perpetrator fled the scene on a moped following the shooting. The motive remains unknown and under investigation.
Officers from the 25th Precinct responded to the incident. All three victims were rushed to Harlem Hospital where the 44-year-old woman was pronounced dead. Police have not yet released her identity. The remaining two victims are expected to survive, cops say.
Cops from the crime scene unit could be observed combing over multiple crime scenes in the vicinity, some taped off with some 12 separate markers indicating a slew of shots were fired.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting 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 X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
