Four men were fatally shot in the Bronx and Brooklyn in a span of nine hours on Thursday — the latest casualties in an ongoing surge of gun violence across New York City.
Cops said the bloodshed began at about 3:07 p.m. on May 6 in the Bronx, where a 23-year-old man was gunned down near the corner of Cruger and Lydig Avenues in Allerton.
Officers from the 49th Precinct, in responding to a 911 call, found Abdessamad Essafoui — who lived on Kingsland Avenue in Pelham Gardens — unconscious and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his torso.
Sources familiar with the investigation said that Essafoui was apparently after getting into a dispute with the suspect, whom the NYPD described as a Black man in his 20s wearing all black clothing. The perpetrator had fled by the time cops arrived on the scene.
EMS rush Essafoui to Jacobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation.
Three hours later, police in Brooklyn responded to the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man inside an East Flatbush home following an apparent dispute with a neighbor.
Law enforcement sources said the murder happened at about 6:09 p.m. on May 6 on East 94th Street off Church Avenue.
According to police sources, the victim had been shot in front of his residence by his unidentified neighbor as part of an ongoing feud between the pair. After being wounded, the victim staggered back inside his residence, then collapsed.
Officers from the 67th Precinct, in responding to a 911 call, found the victim unconscious and unresponsive inside the home.
EMS units rushed him to nearby SUNY Downstate Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police have withheld his identity, pending family notification.
No arrests have been made thus far in the ongoing investigation, authorities said.
Not long after sunset, Brooklyn cops found a 40-year-old man fatally shot in front of a Bedford-Stuyvesant storefront.
According to law enforcement sources, Kamaal King, 40, was shot multiple times in the torso near the corner of Lewis Avenue and Kosciuszko Street at about 9:33 p.m. on May 6.
Police believe that King was shot following a dispute with someone he knew. The NYPD did not provide a description of the suspected shooter.
Officers from the 81st Precinct and EMS units responded to the incident. Paramedics rushed King to Woodhull Hospital, where he died a short time later.
Finally, detectives in the Bronx are questioning a suspect who shot two people, killing one of them, inside a Bronx playground just before midnight Thursday.
Law enforcement sources said the shooting happened at about 11:28 p.m. on May 6 inside the Gouverneur Playground near the corner of St. Paul’s Place and 3rd Avenue in Claremont.
Members of the 42nd Precinct found an unidentified man at the location shot several times in his torso. EMS rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A short time later, police learned that the second victim — a 24-year-old woman who had been struck in the arm — arrived via private means at Lincoln Hospital for treatment. Cops said she is listed in stable condition.
During a preliminary investigation, police apprehended a suspect, a teenage male, and brought them in for further questioning. Charges are pending the results of the ongoing probe.
Anyone with information regarding any of the shootings can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
