Queens party shooting leaves 1 dead, 1 wounded
JAMAICA (WABC) -- Police are searching for a gunman who opened fire outside a home in Queens early Monday morning, killing one man and leaving another seriously hurt.
The shooting happened outside a home on 219th Street and 137th Avenue in Springfield Gardens just after 2:30 a.m.
Authorities say Dowayne Henry was sitting on the front stoop of his home with friends when he was shot in the head and abdomen and pronounced dead at the scene. He is believed to be a college student with no prior run-ins with the law.
It is believed the gunman was firing towards a party next door.
A 25-year-old man was also shot in the back and rushed to Jamaica Medical Center in stable condition.
No arrests were immediately made, and the investigation is ongoing.
For Henry's friends, the incident was a devastating shock.
"He's like my little brother," friend Garnet Brooks said. "I babysat him almost all his life...I spoke to him on Friday to, you know, come see me. But he didn't make it."
The neighbor's cookout was breaking up at the time, and police believe the gunman opened fire from the edge of a picket fence before fleeing on foot.
"The guy was just playing with his iPad, not doing anything, and you just come up and shoot him like that?" Henry's uncle, Andrew Douglas, said. "Doesn't make no sense."
Grieving family members, including Henry's older sister, and stunned friends could be seen going in and out of the home throughout the day, all pondering the question of why a promising young life was cut short.
"He's a happy-go-lucky guy," Douglas said. "He likes nice sneakers. He love expensive sneakers. He's not a guy who loves $20, $30. As soon as they sneakers come. That's Dowayne."
Investigators don't believe Henry was the target, but they still haven't pinpointed a suspect or a motive.
"Basically a senseless killing," Douglas said. "It need to stop, you know? You commit a crime, you need to pay for it. Come forward."
Authorities ask anyone with information to contact police.
