Bullet hits man driving through Brooklyn; suspected shooter caught on subway camera

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Thursday, December 15, 2022
Bullet hits man driving through Brooklyn; suspect caught on cam
The NYPD has released pictures of the suspect, who they say was shooting at a group of people in on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Sonia Rincon has the story.

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A driver is lucky to be alive after being hit by a stray bullet in Brooklyn, and the search is on for the gunman.

The NYPD has released pictures of the suspect, who they say was shooting at a group of people in on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights just before 4 a.m.

One of the bullets flew through the window of a work van and hit the 55-year-old driver as he was heading north on Rochester Avenue.

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The victim, Desmond Philip, was hit in the chest. His son, Denzel Philip, said the bullet came within inches of his father's heart.

He is said to be recovering in stable condition at Brookdale University Hospital.

"It was two groups of kids that was like squaring off and one of them pulled out a gun and fired three shots and my dad, he was actually driving going to get lunch, and he said the window shattered," Denzel Philip said. "He didn't even know what happened. He pulled over the car and he felt blood."

After the shooting, police say the gunman ran off into the Crown Heights - Utica Avenue subway station. That's where the surveillance images of him were captured.

He is described as a man in his 20s, thin build and black hair who was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a black bubble North Face jacket.

Police say the gunman was aiming for someone else and it's not the first time. On Sept. 28, a gunman shot and killed a 17-year-old girl on the same block.

She too was an innocent bystander.

"We hear about the gun violence a lot, but like what is honestly being done about it? To me, I feel like nothing's getting done," Denzel Philip said. "It's getting worse and worse and starting younger and younger."

Anyone with information on the latest shooting or the suspect is asked to contact police.

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 by visiting the CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by messaging on Twitter @NYPDTips.

This latest incident of gun violence happened on the same block where a teenage girl, also an innocent bystander, was shot and killed in September.

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