By Nathan Duke
Crime rose in four of the seven major categories in the 114th Precinct last year, but the number of incidents dropped 5.2 percent overall, including a dip in the number of homicides, according to police statistics.
The number of rapes, robberies, burglaries and grand larceny auto incidents increased, but the precinct had an overall 5.2 percent drop from 2007’s crime statistics, police said.
The precinct, which covers Astoria and Long Island City, reported declines in three of the major crime categories, including murder, felony assault and grand larceny, police said.
There were four murders in the precinct in 2008, as opposed to five homicides during the previous year, police said.
The year’s first homicide occurred on May 25 on 30th Drive in Long Island City, where police said they found an unconscious man in his 40s who had been shot in the head. The man was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he died and no arrests were made in the incident, police said.
The second incident of the year took place on Sept. 3 when police found 65−year−old Long Island City resident Nicholas Nowillo unconscious in front of a home on Crescent Street in Long Island City, police said. The victim was taken to Astoria General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Long Island City’s Eric Cherry, 43, of 21−10 Borden Ave., was arrested and charged with assault, police said.
The fourth homicide occurred on Sept. 22 on 31st Avenue near 50th Street in Astoria, where police said they discovered a 40−year−old man who had been shot once in the head. The victim, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead by emergency responders at the scene and no arrests have been made, police said.
A spokesman for the Police Department said he could not provide information on the year’s fourth homicide in the precinct.
The number of rapes in the precinct rose from 19 incidents in 2007 to 20 in 2008, while robberies also went up from 315 in 2007 to 329 last year, police said. Burglaries rose from 446 incidents in 2007 to 521 in 2008, while grand larceny auto incidents went up from 333 in 2007 to 345 incidents last year, police said.
But felony assaults dropped from 296 incidents in 2007 to 249 in 2008, while grand larceny incidents fell from 921 incidents in 2007 to 745 last year, police said.
Overall crime dropped 3.2 percent in Queens this year, according to police statistics.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e−mail at nduke@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 156.
