3 dead, 24 wounded in July 4, overnight shootings across NYC
EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- More than two dozen people were shot, three fatally, in incidents of gun violence across New York City on the July 4th holiday and into Tuesday.
The victims were struck in 14 separate shootings, including 13 who were shot after 8 p.m. -- 10 of them in just three incidents.
Additionally, six more people were struck by gunfire overnight Monday into Tuesday.
One of those deadly incidents was in the Bronx, where 62-year-old John Edwards was shot in the chest on Prospect Avenue in the Belmont section of the Bronx around 10:30 p.m.
He was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital, while a 23-year-old man shot in the leg is in stable condition.
A third victim in that shooting, a 26-year-old man wounded in the right arm, arrived via private means to St. Barnabas and is listed in stable condition.
Preliminarily, police do not believe Edwards, a military veteran who lives nearby, was the intended target of the gunfire.
The suspect appeared to instead be targeting the two other shot men, both of whom have criminal records, in a drive-by from a white Ford Taurus.
The vehicle was later recovered and an 18-year-old is being questioned, but no charges have been filed.
Edwards was described as a father figure on the block, someone they all looked up to and someone they could always count on.
He was also a former seasonal city parks department employee. He had last worked for the city in 2018.
Now, there is a growing vigil now outside of his home.
Rachel Sanchez knew him for 20 years and considered him family.
"He was the man," she said. "He was the man. Every cookout, cooking out. You need your car wash, he's going to clean it. You need the pump open, he going to open it. You need your window fixed, he going to fix it. You needed your heart fix, he was gonna fix that too."
Police say at least 27 people were shot in total Monday into Tuesday, including two men who were killed when gunfire rang out inside a bodega in Brooklyn.
It happened just after 11:30 p.m. inside Spring Creek Food Mart on Loring Avenue in East New York. Police have recovered surveillance video from the bodega that showed the victims and the suspects involved in a gunfight.
Three men were shot, and a 21-year-old wounded in the head was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 23-year-old was rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck. He was pronounced dead upon arrival.
An 18-year-old who was shot in the torso is expected to survive.
A good Samaritan, Nazeria Blake, spoke with Eyewitness News reporter Stacey Sager on her decision to help save that 18-year-old victim.
"Immediately I called 911, called the cops and I told them you all gotta get here as soon as possible," Blake said. "I said this young man's been shot in his chest and he's bleeding out."
One man was taken into custody at the scene, but charges have yet to be filed. Others are still being sought.
The shooting seems to stem from a gang dispute, police say.
Additionally, four people were shot in a playground in Rochdale, Queens, around 10:15 p.m.
The victims, three men and a woman, were shot in the legs and arms and are all expected to survive.
Overall, there were 38 shooting incidents with 52 victims over the holiday weekend, Friday through Monday.
There were nine homicides compared to eight over same four days in 2021.
There have been 213 homicides so far this year in New York City, down 10.12% from 237 homicides in 2021.
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