Hempstead Village police responded to ShotSpotter call for "shots fired"...

Hempstead Village police responded to ShotSpotter call for "shots fired" in the vicinity of Maple Avenue and Evans Avenue around 8:50 p.m. Monday. Credit: Jim Staubitser

Three men were wounded when a gunman — or gunmen — opened fire on a crowded street in Hempstead on Monday evening, firing as many as 17 times, Hempstead Village police said.

None of the injuries were serious, police said. The shootings may have been gang-related.

Hempstead Village Police Chief Paul Johnson said Tuesday that officers responded to a ShotSpotter call for "shots fired" in the vicinity of Maple Avenue and Evans Avenue around 8:50 p.m. — arriving on scene to find one person who'd suffered a gunshot wound to the back.

The area is home to an apartment complex and is just in off busy Peninsula Boulevard.

Johnson said responding officers were told two other victims had taken themselves to a nearby hospital and hospital officials later confirmed two victims — one shot in the ankle, the other shot in the leg — were undergoing treatment.

Johnson said shell casings from spent bullets were recovered at the scene, but, citing the ongoing investigation, declined to specify how many casings were found.

He said ShotSpotter indicated as many as 17 rounds were fired, though some of those notifications could be echoes recorded by the system.

"It could be 17 shots, but that hasn't been confirmed yet," Johnson said, adding: "It's all part of the investigation."

Police said no weapons were recovered and no arrests had been made.

Johnson said Nassau County police had joined the investigation, as per protocol.

Nassau County police had no comment on the shootings Tuesday, referring all calls to Hempstead. In a release, Nassau police said Gang Investigation Squad detectives were involved.

"Was this targeted?" Johnson said. "That I cannot say at this time. It could be gang-related. That's one of the things we're looking into. But we don't know if anyone was specifically targeted or if there's just some sort of beef going on … We do know shots were fired into a crowd and everyone scattered, with these three hit. The rest is still unclear."

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