A gunman riding a scooter opened fire on several New York City neighbors in what appeared to be random fashion, killing one and wounding three others, police said.
A male suspect was arrested by police in Queens around 1 p.m., and officers recovered a 9mm handgun with an extended clip, officials said.
The shooting began around 11 a.m. in Cypress Hills at Ashford Street and Arlington Avenue. A 21-year-old man was shot once in the shoulder while walking. He was taken to Brookdale Hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
“Detectives from the 75th Precinct responded to the scene on patrol. As they began to process the scene, they saw video showing a Hispanic male on a scooter approaching our victim from behind, raising his hands once and firing one shot at the victim,” NYPD Asst. Joseph Kenney said at an afternoon press conference.
Then, around 11:30 a.m., an 86-year-old man was walking on Jamaica Avenue near 108th Street when he was shot multiple times in the back. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Another round of shots was fired nearby, but missed a few bystanders, Kenny explained.
“Numerous witnesses described a man on a scooter opening fire on a group of people standing at the corner of 108th St. and Jamaica Avenue,” the assistant chief said.
Around 11:35 a.m., the suspect shot and killed a 44-year-old man at 126th Street and Hillside Avenue on the Kew Gardens-Richmond Hill border. The bullet struck the man in the cheek, leaving him in critical condition, Kenney said.
Minutes later, the suspect shot a 63-year-old man in the shoulder at 134th Street and Jamaica Avenue. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center with serious, life-threatening injuries.
The suspect’s apprehension was confirmed thanks to the NYPD’s Domain Alert system, which sent an alert with a description of the suspect to every police officer across the city. The system requires officers to acknowledge an alert to stop their phone ringing. Two officers who saw the alert recognized the suspect and arrested him at the corner of Sutbin Boulevard and 94th Avenue in Queens.
At a press conference, police said the suspect is 25 years old and that they have arrested at least one person in the city.
It’s still unclear what sparked the suspect’s daytime rampage across multiple metros. NYPD officials said footage obtained in the hours following the shooting showed “random gunfire.”
“At this point, we don’t know the motive. His actions appear to be random. If you look at the demographics and backgrounds of the victims, they’re all different at this point,” Kenney said.
Sources told Mayor Eric Adams about the shooting and plans to meet with the families of the injured.
