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April 17 (UPI) — Scooter-riding gunmen opened fire on four people standing on the corner of a Bronx intersection Tuesday evening, according to authorities who said one of the victims was killed.
The men were standing near the intersection of East Mount Eden and Townsend avenues when they came under fire at about 6:15 p.m. EDT by two men being driven on the back of two scooters, Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley of the New York Police Department said during a Tuesday night press conference.
Three of the victims were shot in the legs, while the fourth, a 29-year-old man, was shot in the leg and chest and died of his injuries at a local hospital, he said.
The victims’ ages ranged from 23 to 37.
The assailants wore masks and hoodies to obscure their identities and fled on the scooters after firing around 10 rounds, Gurley said.
Police have a man in custody but are unsure if he is tied to the incident, Gurley said, describing it as a “tragic shooting.”
Authorities said a motive was unknown and that police are investigating to see if the shooting was gang related, though it was too soon to say.
Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said because of the shooting, a community response team would be redeployed to the area with orders to crack down on the illegal use of scooters, dirt bikes and ATVs and take them off the streets.
He said that they have been targeting crimes involving these vehicles, resulting in 9,500 being removed since Jan. 1, including 2,500 in the Bronx.
In that time frame, they have also made 1,300 arrests of people on scooters for an assortment of charges, including driving an unregistered scooter, Daughtry said.
According to The Gun Violence Archive, there have been 18 mass shootings with four or more victims across the country so far this month and at least 116 mass shootings this year.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2024, 1:03 AM.