No fewer than 16 New Yorkers were injured in about two hours time in separate shootings across Brooklyn and Queens between Sunday night and early Monday morning, police reported.
The biggest shooting happened in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where eight people took bullets after two gunmen opened fire on a crowd listening to music at the Roosevelt Houses public housing complex just after midnight on Aug. 16.
Police officials said the gunfire erupted at about 12:24 a.m. Monday morning near 927 DeKalb Avenue. According to Deputy Chief John Chell, commanding officer of the Brooklyn North Detective Bureau, as many as 150 people were gathered outside the Roosevelt Houses listening to music when the bullets started flying.
“The two shooters come off of Pulaski Street and fire into this crowd,” Chell said. It’s not clear, at this point, whom the shooters had targeted.
Two stray bullets also smashed through the windows of nearby apartments, but none of the occupants inside were injured, he added.
When the smoke cleared, eight people gathered at the location had been wounded — three men and five women, all of them between 18 and 27 years of age. Fortunately, none of them suffered life-threatening wounds; Chell indicated many of them were wounded in the legs, arms or hips.
EMS units rushed the victims to nearby hospitals for treatment of their injuries.
Detectives are continuing to canvass the crime scene for ballistic and other evidence related to the shooting. Chell said police have obtained numerous pieces of video evidence at or near the crime scene which detectives will examine in the hope of spotting the shooters involved.
Police appealed to the public to come forward with any information they may have about the shooting.
“We’re asking for any help we can get,” Chell said. “There was about 100 to 150 people out here. People saw what happened.”
An evening of bullets
Meanwhile, detectives are also hoping the public will help them solve four other shootings across Brooklyn and Queens between Sunday night and Monday morning.
Three young men were shot and injured in front of a home on Westgate Street off Thurston Street in Springfield Gardens, Queens at about 10:55 p.m. on Aug. 15.
Officers from the 113th Precinct, in responding to a 911 call about the shooting, found a 23-year-old man shot in the left leg; a 27-year-old man shot in the back; and a 20-year-old man wounded in the right shoulder.
EMS rushed all three victims to Jamaica Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.
At this point in the ongoing investigation, police do not yet know the circumstances that led up to the shooting. Sources familiar with the case said the victims have, so far, been uncooperative with detectives.
About a half-hour later, cops said, a 32-year-old man was shot during a dispute in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Police said the victim took a bullet to his right leg after his foe fired at him near the Marcy Houses public housing complex at 35 Nostrand Ave. at about 11:24 p.m. on Aug. 15.
Officers from the 79th Precinct and EMS units responded to the scene. The victim was taken to Kings County Hospital in stable condition.
Back in Queens, a 20-year-old man was shot in the face during an apparent traffic dispute following a collision in Ozone Park, police reported.
Law enforcement sources said the incident happened at about 12:15 a.m. on Aug. 16 along 101st Avenue between 90th and 91st Streets.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the victim got into a car crash with several unidentified individuals. It’s believed that the victim was shot as he attempted to leave the scene.
Officers from the 102nd Precinct found the victim moments later with a bullet wound to his face. EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, where he’s listed in stable condition.
Finally, three teenagers were shot in a drive-by shooting at a Brooklyn intersection early Sunday morning.
Police said a 16-year-old boy was operating a Mercedes-Benz SUV with two others riding along at the corner of Atlantic and Schenck Avenues in Cypress Hills at about 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 16 when an unidentified shooter pulled up alongside and opened fire.
Officers from the 75th Precinct found the 16-year-old boy shot in the head. EMS rushed him to Brookdale University Hospital, where he’s listed in critical condition.
The two passengers — an 18-year-old male shot in the left arm and a 19-year-old woman wounded in the right thigh — were also rushed to Brookdale Hospital for treatment of their injuries. They are listed in stable condition.
So far, no arrests have been made in any of the shootings.
Anyone with information regarding the gun violence can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
