Agony filled a Brooklyn block on Monday night when family members came to the scene where a 35-year-old man had been shot to death in another horrific act of gun violence in the borough.
“I can’t believe they killed my brother,” a grief-stricken woman shouted, prostrate on the ground next to a police officer, close to where the 35-year-old victim had been gunned down on the 400 block of Ridgewood Avenue in Cypress Hills on Nov. 7.
Moments later, the woman was consoled by another family member before officers moved her away from the scene.
Law enforcement sources said the victim, Lulien Arnold, who lived on Ridgewood Avenue, was shot in the back at the location at about 5:18 p.m. on Monday.
Officers from the 75th Precinct found the wounded Arnold while responding to a 911 call about the incident. EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The motive for the shooting remains unknown and under investigation, police sources said.
Detectives are looking for a suspect described only as a man wearing light-colored clothing who was seen fleeing on foot in an unknown direction. No arrests have been made in the case.
Monday was particularly bloody in the 75th Precinct. Earlier that morning, another 35-year-old man was gunned down on Euclid Avenue in East New York.
Police said the victim in that incident — Eric Rentas, 35, of University Avenue in the Bronx — had been shot multiple times in the face and torso. Responding EMS units pronounced Rentas dead at the scene.
Year-to-date through Nov. 6, according to recent CompStat data, the 75th Precinct has seen 69 shooting incidents and 80 victims this year, slight increases from the 61 shootings and 75 victims reported at the same time in 2021. Murders, however, are down by 20% so far in 2022, with 20 homicides reported, as opposed to 25 incidents that occurred through Nov. 6 of last year.
Anyone with information regarding Monday’s deadly 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.
