At least ten people were injured Saturday night in a shooting outside a Queens laundromat. Two men fired 37 shots before fleeing on mopeds.
Law enforcement was called to the area of 37th Avenue and 97th Street around 10:38 p.m. for what the New York City Police Department is referring to as a coordinated attack.
Two men came around the corner and began firing into a group of people outside a Mexican restaurant. After firing 37 shots into the crowd, the duo jumped onto the backs of their accomplice’s mopeds and sped away.
The shooting victims ranged in ages from 19 to 72 and were all treated at local hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries. Police believe that three of the ten injured in the shootout belong to the Trinitarios street gang. The other seven were bystanders.
Now, police are looking for the four suspects responsible for the shooting. They are described as males wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts.
“There’s just one common theme I want to get out there that’s a recurring theme that keeps happening, and it has to stop throughout the city,” said James Essig, chief of detectives, during a press conference. “That’s gang members, that’s guns — multiple guns on the scene — scooters being used, masks, and lastly, unintended targets getting hit. This is unacceptable in our streets in New York City, and it has to stop.”
The mass shooting in Queens is just one of a handful that took place nationwide on Saturday. There were also shootings in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky. There were no casualties reported in any of the incidents.
The night also marked a particularly bloody night for New York City, which has seen an uptick in gun violence this year. Overnight, 18 people were wounded, and three people were killed in shootings throughout the five boroughs.
