Authorities reported that fourteen people were hit by gunfire, two of them killed, in various parts of New York City in less than 15 hours in a violent weekend.
Five people were shot in The Bronx, five in Brooklyn, and four in Queens in eight separate shootings between 2:30 p.m. Friday and 5:00 a.m. Saturday.
One of the victims, a 27-year-old man, was found shot in the head outside a Dominican food establishment on White Plains Road in Parlchester, according to officials.
The violence began in The Bronx on Friday afternoon when an armed individual fired shots outside Popeye’s at East Tremont and Hughes Avenues in Tremont around 2:30 p.m., police revealed.
Four victims were shot, including 24-year-old Jeremiah Smith, who was fatally shot in the chest and perished later at St. Barnabas Hospital.
Officials said a 37-year-old man struck by a bullet outside Popeye’s was in critical condition at St. Barnabas on Saturday with a chest wound. Two subjects, 58 and 36, were wounded in the ankle and buttocks, received treatment, and were released.
“The fight was outside the store. There were at least four shots, maybe more,” Popeye’s employee Abdurhan Shabbir, 28, told the Daily News. “One man was lying on the ground, wounded and bleeding. Another guy ran into the store holding his back, saying he had been shot.“
Officers arrested Salvatore Rivera, 51, at the scene. He was later charged with murder, manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, assault, and weapons possession.
Also, Jose Parilla, 32, was captured and charged Saturday afternoon with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon for shooting.
A video obtained by the New York media clearly showed the gunman firing. A second individual who was apparently armed also appeared in the footage, but it is unclear whether he opened fire.
Parilla and Rivera are scheduled to appear in the Bronx Criminal Court.
Bloody hours
Two hours later, officials said an armed subject shot and wounded a 33-year-old man at 4:22 p.m. on Astoria Boulevard near 8th Street in Astoria.
The victim was injured in the leg and drove himself to Elmhurst Hospital. His injuries were not life-threatening. The suspect is at large.
Within an hour, four people were injured in a drive-by shooting in Coney Island, police said.
The victims were outside High Moon Smoke Shop on Mermaid Avenue near W. 33rd Street just before 5:00 p.m. when an unidentified shooter in a passing maroon minivan began shooting at them.
“The car pulled up in front of the store, and they started shooting,” said Zulqarnian Ali, who works at a deli next door to the cigar store. “The shooting was quick—too many shots to count. One guy ran into our store and then fell to the ground. A group of them rushed through and into the back parking lot. They were running and scared.”
The people shot ranged in age from 17 to 25. Officials said three of them were shot in the leg, while the youngest of them was struck in the chest. All were transported to nearby hospitals in the hope that they would survive.
According to a police source with knowledge of the case said, at least one of the four victims was the gunman’s intended target.
For his part, Rashawn Thompson, brother of the older victim, who identified him as Rahmel, expressed that his brother had nothing to do with the shooting.
“He was hanging out with his friends,” said Thompson, 27. “He was in front of the store. They rolled up and started shooting from inside the car.”
At about 6:25 p.m., officials said that a 20-year-old man was shot in the shoulder on 183rd Street near Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica. Medics transported the injured person to Jamaica Hospital, where he is stable.
Armed robbery
At 11:30 p.m., armed men entered a small store in Clinton Hill, where they shot a 48-year-old employee while removing the cash register’s contents, which contained $4,600.
The victim was rushed to New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he is expected to survive.
Separately, earlier Saturday at 2:32 a.m., a 23-year-old man was shot in the left thigh on 33rd Street near 28th Rd. in Astoria. Paramedics transported the man to Elmhurst Hospital, where he is expected to recover from his injuries.
Also, at 4:00 a.m., authorities said an individual walked into Queens Hospital Center in Hillcrest with a gunshot wound to the leg.
Later, a 27-year-old man was shot in the head while standing outside a car on White Plains Road in Parkchester, police said. The shots came from a passing minivan, but it was unclear if the fatality was the intended target.
According to the NYPD, shootings, and homicides perpetrated have been trending downward in the city.
As of Friday, 123 people had reportedly been shot in 99 incidents, down nearly 20% from the same period in 2022, when 151 people were shot.