16 shot in just one day
Lead flies from Harlem to the Bronx, some innocent vics hit
Four men were wounded when bullets flew in Harlem — the third city shooting with more than one victim in less than nine hours, police said Wednesday.
An argument involving several men broke out on W. 116th St. near Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., and shots rang out at about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, cops said.
A 28-year-old man hit multiple times in the leg was taken by medics to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital in serious condition.
A 27-year-old man struck in the right leg was taken to the same hospital in stable condition. The other victims, a 28-year-old man shot in the right arm and a 24-year-old man shot in the right leg, were in stable condition at Harlem Hospital.
It wasn’t clear if the victims were targeted or if there was more than one shooter.
Investigators recovered nine shell casings and at least one magazine to a pistol, cops said.
The shooting capped a bloody day in the city.
At 3:25 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, a 20-year-old man and an innocent 48-yearold woman selling handbags on the street were shot and wounded about a half mile away in Harlem, on W. 125th St. near Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.
Police believe the gunman was aiming at the man when he opened fire — though a motive behind the shooting wasn’t immediately disclosed.
Then at 6:20 p.m., four bystanders, including two teens, were shot and wounded in London Planetree Playground near 88th St. and Atlantic Ave. in Ozone Park, Queens.
As children played nearby, two gunmen were seen exiting a black BMW hatchback SUV that had been parked on the block for at least a half hour, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
“They go in the park. They circle the park a little bit, so they’re obviously looking to target somebody,” Essig said.
After the two walked past the playground rest rooms, they drew their guns on a 20-year-old man, shooting him in both legs. About 26 shots were fired — wounding a 32-year-old man hit in the ankle and buttocks, a 15-year-old girl shot in the left leg, and a 14-year-old boy shot in the lower back. All four victims were rushed to area hospitals, where they are expected to survive.
Detectives believe the shooting was connected to gang activity in that part of Queens, a police source said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, no arrests were reported in any of the three shootings.
Six other people were wounded in five additional shootings on Tuesday, bringing the total number of victims for the day to 16 — double the number of shooting victims on the same day a year ago, cops said.
And the bloodshed continued into the early morning hours. At about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Bronx, a 28-year-old man walked into Montefiore Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the leg. The victim, who has no criminal record, claimed he was standing on E 223rd St. near Paulding Ave. when he was shot, cops said.
No arrests were reported in that shooting.
Essig said that 12 people were shot Tuesday night and early Wednesday.
“[There’s a] lot of guns out on the street — and they’re not afraid to use them,” Essig said. “As many as we take off the streets, there’s still a lot of guns.”
So far this year the number of shootings in the city has dropped by 12%, cops said. As of Tuesday cops were investigating 1,264 shootings — 158 fewer than at this time last year.