By Ivan Pereira
In the third time in as many weeks a late night shooting has rocked a southeast Queens block and left another teenager dead, police said.
Around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, police responded to a call of shots fired near 167th Street and 109th Avenue in Jamaica. There, officers found three men, ranging in age from 19 to 29, with gunshot wounds to their bodies, according to investigators.
All three unidentified victims were rushed to area hospitals, but the 19-year-old victim, who was shot in the back, succumbed to his injuries at Jamaica Hospital later in the morning, police said.
A 21-year-old victim was listed in stable condition at Queens Hospital Center and a 29-year-old was also listed in stable condition at Jamaica Hospital as of press time Tuesday, according to investigators. Both victims had gunshot wounds in their right arms, police said.
No suspects had been arrested as of press time Tuesday and the investigation was ongoing, police said. Officers cordoned off an entire three-block radius as they combed the streets for evidence.
Nearby residents were frustrated and shocked when they woke up to the police presence in their neighborhood.
“I just moved here a few weeks ago and I never seen anything like this,” said one resident who asked not to be named.
It was unclear what sparked the shooting, but one longtime homeowner said it was not uncommon for people to have late night parties around the area.
“There are a lot of people who hang out on the corner,” he said.
Last weekend, a 20-year-old Cambria Heights man was killed and six others were wounded during a Springfield Gardens party. The get-together was initially supposed to be a reunion for a group of junior high students, but it got out of control as more than a hundred people showed up after the party was announced on social network sites Facebook and Twitter, according to police.
No one has been arrested in that shooting, but police have said they were searching for a black man in his 20s, who is 5-foot-8 and wore a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.
The incident in Springfield Gardens mirrored a similar shooting two weeks earlier a few blocks away.
Long Island teen Kendrick Ali Morrow was shot and killed following a late night party at 147th Avenue and 176th Street around 1 a.m. May 14, police said. The 19-year-old got into a fight with two men, one described as 5-foot-8 with a stocky build and a dark complexion who was seen in a blue-and-yellow-striped, long-sleeve shirt and another described as 6-foot-1 with a light complexion, thin build and long braided hair who was wearing a gray T-shirt and blue jeans.
Neither of those suspects had been arrested as of press time Tuesday, police said.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, text their tips to 274637 then enter TIP577 or log on to nypdcrimestoppers.com. All reports will be kept confidential.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
