NYPD: Five shot dead in Brooklyn and Queens
Five people in Brooklyn and Queens were shot to death Tuesday, the most killings in one 24-hour span in recent years, officials said.
NYPD officials Wednesday could not recall five homicides in such a short span since 2013, when a Chinese immigrant, allegedly disgruntled with his new life in New York, used a butcher knife to kill his cousin’s wife and her four children.
The most brazen of the latest killings took place shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday in front of 2820 West 19th St. in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. Two men with criminal records were shot dead by an unidentified assailant in what investigators believe were killings sparked by drug and gang disputes.
A 27 year-old victim from Staten Island was found with a gunshot wound to the abdomen while a 38-year-old man from Brooklyn had suffered a shot to the head, the NYPD said. Both men were pronounced dead at Coney Island Hospital.
Just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, an 18-year-old man was found on 176th Street in Jamaica, Queens with multiple gunshot wounds to the head, torso and leg. He was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, police said.
Two more fatal shootings occurred within about 90 minutes of each other Tuesday night. Shortly after 8 p.m. police officers found a 25-year-old man on the pavement with a gunshot wound to the chest in front of 107-19 Sutphin Blvd. in Queens. The man was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital, police said. At about 9:20 p.m., police responded to reports of a dispute at the corner of Union Street and Sutter Avenue in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn and found a 28-year-old man on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the left hip. The victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center where he died, police said.
All five cases were under investigation late Wednesday and police believe most are related to the current gang situations around the city, particularly in Brooklyn and Queens.
Homicides in 2019 are trending slightly below the level for 2018, NYPD officials have said, although the data showed that the number of shootings had increased by close to 5 percent for the year. The latest police statistics for 2019 show that the city has had 195 homicides, including the most recent killings, compared to 201 at the same time in 2018.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
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