A 47-year-old man is dead and two others are wounded after another night of violence in Brooklyn Wednesday night in what police believe is continuing gang violence.
A motorist passing the shooting was also struck by flying glass after a bullet struck the window of his vehicle. He refused medical attention, police said.
The dead man, not yet identified, was shot at 9:06 p.m. in front of 80 Osborn Street in the Howard Houses, a NYCHA housing development in Brownsville. Police from the 73rd precinct found the victim sprawled on the ground, suffering multiple chest wounds. He was rushed to Brookdale University Medical Center where he could not be saved.
No arrests have been made and investigators were studying NYCHA camera video for clues as to the attacker’s identity.
The second shooting occurred after what police say was a violent dispute between two groups at 7:45 p.m. at the corner of Sheffield Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. Police from the 73rd Precinct found a 27-year-old and a 44-year-old man were engaged in a shoot out at that corner, a bullet striking a passing car on Atlantic.
Police say both men were shooting at each other shortly before they arrived with the 44-year-old found shot in the shoulder and his rival, found collapsed on Pennsylvania Avenue and Fulton Street shot in the leg.
The older man was taken to Interfaith Medical Center in stable condition by private vehicle and the younger man was in stable condition at Brookdale.
The driver of the Toyota struck by a bullet was angry about nearly being killed in the crossfire.
“I will never come this way again, that bullet came in high and hot. The window exploded. I am lucky to be alive after this, god spared me tonight,” said Mentach T, a resident of Crown Heights.
Police say witnesses saw both men shooting at each other at the location, but no weapons were recovered. Charges are being weighed against both men, with a decision pending by investigators.
These shootings are the latest in a shooting spree in Brooklyn, part of what police believe is a gang war between various groups. Scores of people have been shot this month alone. The crime spree comes as the City Council weighs cutting the NYPD budget, which would amount to reducing the number of officers on patrol – a result of protests against police brutality. It also comes on the heels of the NYPD decision to eliminate plain-clothed anti-crime teams city-wide that were created to combat gun violence.
