By Ivan Pereira
Police were searching for the people responsible for killing a woman who was shot during a mugging on a Hollis block Sunday night and casually strolling away from the scene.
Officers found Rabia Mohammed wounded with gunshots to her torso a few yards from her house near 93rd Avenue and 204th Street around 8:30 p.m., police said. The 23-year-old was rushed to Jamaica Hospital where she was declared dead, according to investigators.
Mohammed was with her husband, Shazam Khan, at the time of the shooting and they were approached by three muggers dressed in white hoodies who demanded her purse, a police source said. When the wife did not comply, the muggers opened fire, according to the source.
Neighbors, who heard the gunshots, said there has been an increase in crime in the area, but there had not been an incident this violent before.
“There are people going around robbing people here,” said a woman who declined to give her name and lived opposite the block where the shooting happened.
Khan was not harmed, according to witnesses and the police source. Investigators released surveillance footage of the suspects, who are described as black males in their 20s, walking away from the scene.
The men were videotaped walking nonchalantly with their hands in their pockets through the streets.
A man who owned the property where the shooting took place said he and his family were inside watching TV when it happened.
“We heard the bang and we knew something was wrong,” said the homeowner, who declined to give his name but said he had been living there for 27 years.
The homeowner said crime has been more rampant in the neighborhood over the years. Last month, he was robbed on the street while on his way to work.
The muggers took his phone, wallet and other belongings, according to the homeowner.
“The way they talked to me was the same way they talked to the girl,” he 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.
