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Brooklyn cops try to get a handle on gun violence as another man is shot to death in broad daylight

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Another homicide at the Tilden Houses in Brownsville Brooklyn. A 32-year-old man was shot dead at 335 Blake Avenue August 11. (Photo by Todd Maisel)

A 32-year-old man was shot to death in front of his apartment in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon — the killer apparently not caring who saw it or what cameras may have recorded his getaway, according to police.

The cold-blooded murder was the third shooting homicide in Brooklyn in less than 24 hours. Overnight, a 19-year-old man was gunned down in Sheepshead Bay, and a 28-year-old man was slain following a dispute in Weeksville.

Cops at the scene of the Aug. 12 afternoon slaying, the Tilden Houses at 335 Blake Ave. in Brownsville, cautioned that it has become “especially dangerous out here.”

“These guys don’t seem to care about anything,” said one detective as they tried to figure out who fired the shots that killed the victim at close range.

The victim took multiple bullets to his chest from the unknown gunman at 1:58 p.m. on Aug. 12. Paramedics rushed the victim to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police identified the man as William Rollins, 32, of 714 Belmont Avenue.
 

Meanwhile, detectives were looking for the perpetrator, whom they described as a Black man wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, black sneakers and a black hat with a white logo. He carried a green umbrella and silver handgun, and was last seen running toward 500 Stone St.

Cops went to the location after video footage confirmed his direction, but additional footage obtained from Stone Street showed that the suspect had fled earlier inside a black Lexus.

Residents were not shocked by the brazen murder, but more saddened by the continued violence plaguing their community.

“I just want to head home and hide in my apartment,” one NYCHA employee said. “It just isn’t safe to walk around here anymore. People just keep killing each other.”

Another man came over to make sure “nobody had shot out his windows.”

“Yea, this is going on all the time, they just won’t stop shooting each other,” the man complained, frowning at the yellow police tape closing off most of the development. “All I can do is hope they didn’t shoot my car.”

Another homicide at the Tilden Houses in Brownsville Brooklyn. A 32-year-old man was shot dead at 335 Blake Avenue August 11. A sandal was left from the victim. (Photo by Todd Maisel)

Dr. Burchell Marcus, a community advocate for Borough President Eric Adams, called the situation “atrocious.”

“I see a lot of work needs to be done, we need more cooperation and unity from the community –  they need to do more, speak up more and stand up more,” Marcus said. “In order to stop this, we must work together – if we don’t work together, this won’t stop. We don’t have gun shops in the community – it’s coming from outside, but who’s bringing them here? We need to find out where the guns are coming from and cut off that pipeline. But in the end, only  the people here can make that difference to talk people down from committing these crimes.”

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

Another homicide at the Tilden Houses in Brownsville Brooklyn. Crime scene tape cordons off the scene on Blake Avenue in Tilden Houses. (Photo by Todd Maisel)