Random shooter on scooter goes on shooting spree in New York; kills 86-year-old man

One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting incident in New York City, where a man fired a semi-automatic pistol from a scooter.

The shooter targeted random individuals in what appears to be a spree of senseless violence, according to the police.

The New York City Police Department apprehended a suspect approximately two hours after the first victim was shot.

The incidents took place in Brooklyn and Queens within a span of nearly 30 minutes on Saturday morning, as reported by NYPD.

The first incident occurred in Brooklyn at 11:10 a.m., where a 21-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound in his left shoulder.

Detective Joseph Kenny explained that video footage showed a man approaching the victim from behind on a scooter, raising his hand, and firing a single shot. The victim was then taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Watch as acting Police Commissioner Caban and NYPD executives provide an update on an incident that occurred in Queens earlier today. https://t.co/vkZiDfwLYp

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Seventeen minutes later, around 11:27 a.m., a second victim, an 87-year-old man, was shot in the back in Queens. Sadly, the elderly man succumbed to his injuries after being transported to a local hospital.

“The suspect, described as a male riding a scooter, fired shots at a nail salon on Jamaica Avenue,” Kenny informed reporters during a briefing.

Officers responding to the incident later discovered another shooting nearby, but fortunately, no one was injured. Kenny stated, “Several witnesses described the male on the scooter randomly shooting at a group of people standing at the corner of 108th Street and Jamaica Avenue.”

At approximately 11:35 a.m., a third individual was shot at a street corner in Queens. The victim, a 44-year-old man, was hit in the cheek by a bullet and is currently in critical condition at the hospital, according to Kenny.

Just two minutes later, at 11:37 a.m., a fourth victim, a 63-year-old man, sustained a gunshot wound to his right shoulder. He is currently in stable condition at the hospital.

“The witnesses once again described a male on a scooter,” Kenny added.

The suspected shooter was apprehended in Queens at 1:10 p.m. The police recovered a scooter and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

The alleged gunman, a 25-year-old man with a previous arrest in New York City, was identified through photos of the shooting suspect that had been distributed to every NYPD officer’s smartphone.

At present, the police do not have a motive for the shootings, and they are believed to be random acts of violence, as stated by Kenny.

“There is no pattern when you look at the demographics and backgrounds of the victims. They are all different,” he noted, highlighting that the victims included Hispanic and Asian-Pacific American men. “The video evidence shows that he is not targeting or following anyone. He is randomly shooting at people while driving his scooter.”

The names of the victims have not been released pending notification of their families.

Detectives are still working to find the serial number of the recovered gun and ascertain whether it was defaced or possibly an unregistered firearm, referred to as a ghost gun.

Acting Police Commissioner Edward Caban stated that the shooting was carried out using an illegal scooter without a license plate.