A Bronx man is dead and several others were wounded in a series of shootings that took place Tuesday night into Wednesday, continuing the gun violence that has plagued the city, police officials said.
The violence follows a weekend of shootings in which 11 people were killed and 65 people wounded. The only fatality of the night was identified as Kenneth Brown, 35, of East 120th Street.
On Wednesday, July 8, at approximately 12:43 a.m., police responded to a 911 call of a male shot in front of 375 Pleasant Avenue where they found Brown with a gunshot wound to the chest. EMS rushed Brown to Harlem Hospital where he was dead on arrival.
Police say there are no arrests at this time.
Also in the Bronx, police say people in a dark colors sedan fired at a crowd at 1773 Lacomb Avenue, but luckily, but no injuries were reported. Police found spent shells from the shooting, but nobody reported injuries.
In Brooklyn, police report there were a total of three shootings, with 3 people wounded, one critical.
In the first case, dozens of people were filming a rap video in front of 1192 Ocean Avenue in South Midwood, at about 9:30 p.m. when three males in a white Infinity, began firing at the crowd.
A 25-year-old woman was struck in the hand by a bullet and taken to Maimonidies Medical Center for treatment.
The corner has been the source of complaints by neighbors who say people at that building are drinking and partying into the morning hours almost every night. Several empty alcohol bottles were found at the scene of the shooting.
“Only last week, a guy had his windshield shot out a block away,” said one neighbor who didn’t want to be identified. “These guys are here almost every night, out late hours. They don’t really care that people have to sleep.”
The rap film featured a brand new cherry red Lamborghini, valued at about $500,000, but the car was not hit in the gunfire. Several camera handlers were on site shortly before the shooting, but most of those taking part in the filming left the scene immediately after the attack.
The second shooting occurred at 9:45 p.m. in the courtyard of the Louis Pink Houses, a NYCHA development where two people, both innocent bystanders, were sitting on benches outside their apartment buildings between 2678 Linden Blvd and 1257 Loring Avenue when two men in a dispute began firing at each other, spraying the surrounding area with bullets.
A 33-year-old woman sitting on a bench outside enjoying the cool breeze was struck in the chest by one round, and a 30-year-old man was struck in the right arm at another bench in front of the Loring avenue address.
The woman, identified by residents only as “Shah” and the man were rushed to Brookdale University Medical Center where the woman is in critical condition and the man in stable condition.
The man’s sister, who didn’t want to be identified, said her brother rushed up to their apartment after the shooting.
“He was banging on the door and was bleeding all over the place,” she said. “He was just sitting outside minding his own business.”
Several people outside were crying over the wounding of the woman, one woman saying, “she was just trying to keep cool, she’s out there all the time.”
One of the shooters was described as a male black, 6 feet tall, in his 20’s, wearing a blue shirt. Police are studying video from the NYCHA development for more clues. More than 14 spent shells were found and marked on the walkway and grass of the courtyard.
Police report there were two other reports of shootings in the borough, but no other people were hit. One was at 95 Stuyvesant Avenue and another at Hicks and Mill Street earlier in the evening.
In Queens, a 32-year-old man was shot once in the head while driving his Ford Explorer on Beach Channel Drive at the intersection of Hassock Street in Far Rockaway. Police from the 101st Precinct found the driver at 8:22 p.m. had crashed the vehicle into several parked cars after being hit in the head.
He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital where he is said to be in very critical condition.
It is unclear whether the driver was hit by a stray bullet or whether someone intentionally shot him. Police say the investigation is continuing.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @ NYPDTips. All calls are confidential.
