NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Ten people were shot and wounded in a shooting outside a Queens concert venue on Wednesday night, police said as they searched for as many as four suspects.
Police were investigating a motive for the shooting but said it was not an act of terrorism, with tensions high after a deadly terrorist attack in New Orleans.
The ten victims—six female and four males, between the ages of 16 and 20—were in line outside the Amazura Concert Hall in Jamaica around 11 p.m. A private event was being held at the club, which was at capacity when the gunmen started shooting.
"Three to four males opened fire over 30 times in the direction of the group standing outside the event space, striking multiple victims," NYPD Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera said at a press conference.
The gunmen shot the victims at 144th Place and Archer Avenue before fleeing down 91st Street toward 143rd Place, police said.
They then got into a light-colored sedan with out-of-state license plates and drove off, according to cops.
The gunmen fired over 30 times in the direction of a crowd, police said.Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images
No arrests had been reported Thursday.
There is "zero tolerance for these senseless shootings," Rivera said.
The victims were hospitalized but are expected to survive their injuries.
According to police, the mother of 17-year-old Taearion Mungo, who shot and killed in October, was holding a birthday/memorial party for her son at the venue at the time of the shooting. She had asked to invite 120 people, but the venue told her only 90 were allowed, leading to the line outside.
Up to 15 people were standing outside when the men shot at them from a distance, hitting the victims in non-vital areas like the buttocks and legs, police said.
Investigators are now looking at a potential gang connection related to Mungo, who was shot in the chest and killed on Oct. 26, 2024. His birthday was New Year's Day.
U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, of the Bronx, wrote on X that 2025 had begun tragically in the city. "We are reminded almost daily of how fragile public safety can be and how easily anyone anywhere in America can get shot," the congressman wrote.
"Ten families woke up this morning to some of the most devastating news one could imagine receiving — their loved one had been shot, "Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said in a statement. "My thoughts are with the victims and all those impacted as they navigate this life-changing ordeal, and I'm relieved that seemingly no lives will be lost due to this despicable shooting."
"I have been in constant communication with law enforcement, and while it does not appear this incident has a Queens nexus, under no circumstance will we allow any example of gun violence in our borough to go unpunished. I'm confident that those who perpetrated this heinous act will be arrested and held accountable for their actions," Richards said.
Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday on X that the city is "on alert" after at least 15 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man rammed a truck into a crowd of New Year's revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans in what officials have described as a terrorist attack "inspired by ISIS." President Joe Biden said the FBI was also looking into whether a deadly explosion outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel was connected to the New Orleans attack.
"While there are no immediate threats to our city at this time, out of an abundance of caution, we have heightened security and have increased NYPD presence at relevant locations, including at Trump Tower and in Times Square," the mayor said.
