Global Courant
One person was killed and three others injured by a gunman firing a semi-automatic pistol from a scooter during an apparently random shooting in New York City, police said.
A suspect was apprehended two hours after the first victim was shot, according to the New York City Police Department.
According to NYPD Det. Joseph Kenny.
Police have released this photo of a scooter they believe was involved in a shooting in Queens, New York, on July 8, 2023.
NYPD
The first incident occurred at 11:10 a.m. in Brooklyn, when a 21-year-old man was shot in the left shoulder, Kenny said. Video of the scene showed a man approaching the victim from behind on a scooter, raising his hand and firing once, Kenny said. The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
Seventeen minutes later, at approximately 11:27 a.m., a second victim was shot in the back in Queens, Kenny said. The 87-year-old man was transported to a local hospital where he died, Kenny said.
“The perpetrator was described as a man on a scooter who fired at a nail salon on Jamaica Avenue,” Kenny told reporters at a briefing.
Officers heard of another shooting incident nearby, in which no injuries were reported.
“Numerous witnesses described the man on a scooter shooting randomly at a group of people standing at the corner of 108th Street and Jamaica Avenue,” Kenny said.
Then, around 11:35 a.m., a fourth person was shot on a street corner in Queens, Kenny said. The victim, a 44-year-old man, was hit by a bullet in the cheek and is in critical condition in hospital, Kenny said.
About two minutes later, at 11:37 a.m., a fourth victim was shot; a 63-year-old man suffered a single gunshot wound to his right shoulder and has been hospitalized in stable condition, Kenny said.
“Witnesses again described a man on a scooter,” Kenny said.
The suspected shooter was apprehended in Queens at 1:10 p.m. and a scooter and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol were recovered, Kenny said. Officers identified the alleged shooter — described as a 25-year-old man with a previous NYC arrest — from photos of the shooting suspect handed out on every NYPD officer’s smartphone, the department said.
Police have released this photo of a firearm they recovered from a shooting in Queens, New York on July 8, 2023.
NYPD
Police have no motive at this time and the shootings are believed to be random, Kenny said.
“If you look at the demographics and the family tree of the victims, they’re all different,” he said, noting that there were also Hispanic and Asian-Pacific American men. “Video shows he doesn’t target anyone, he doesn’t follow anyone. While riding his scooter, he randomly shoots people.”
None of the victims’ names have been released pending notification to the family.
Detectives have not yet located the serial number on the recovered gun and are working to determine whether it was defaced or a possible ghost gun, Kenny said.
Acting Police Commissioner Edward Caban said the shooting was carried out using an illegal, unlicensed scooter.
