VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A Brooklyn man was killed and four minors were wounded Monday night during a shooting at an "illegal party" on the border of Queens and Nassau County, police said.
The shooter, described as a male in dark clothing, fired from 131st Avenue in Rosedale, Queens, around 8:30 p.m. towards partygoers across the county border at an event space on Hook Creek Boulevard in Valley Stream.
The suspect, who police believe was armed with a semiautomatic .380 caliber pistol, fled back into Queens and was still being sought Tuesday.
Up to five people were hit, including a 20-year-old man from Brooklyn who was shot in the chest. He was pronounced dead at a hospital and hasn't yet been identified.
A bullet passed through the shoulder of a 12-year-old boy who was standing in the doorway of the building. He was hospitalized and is expected to recover.
Two 17-year-old boys who were each struck in the leg were treated and released from a hospital.
A 17-year-old girl also suffered a laceration to her hand, but it's unclear if the wound was from a bullet or from shrapnel like broken glass, police said.
Nassau County Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick described the space as a "rental hall" that's used for parties. Shattered glass, blood and bullet holes were seen at the location Tuesday.
The party held Monday night was illegal because organizers were serving alcohol without a license and charging a fee for admission, according to police, who estimated more than 50 people were in attendance.
A resident who lives nearby said she called 911 after hearing five shots and seeing teens running through her yard, several of them with gunshot wounds. "I think it was about four, one went in the stretcher, one girl was shot in her hand, another boy in the shoulder," she said.
Fitzpatrick said Nassau police have received complaints about similar parties that are promoted on social media and geared towards young people but that there "had been no prior incidents at this particular venue."
Deborah Young, the owner of the venue, called Dopie's World, told Newsday that the space was rented out for a "end of summer going away celebration" and that the contract stipulated no alcohol on the premises.
"Whatever transpired [it was] outside, not inside," Young said. "This is something that should not have happened, and we need more gun control.”
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said patrols would be increased in the area. An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, he said, and it's not yet known if anyone in particular was targeted.
Related
Related
Related
