8 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 5, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
‘Brazen, coordinated attack’ that left 10 people
shot in Corona linked to gang activity: NYPD
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@schnepsmedia.com
@robbpoz
Ten people were shot on the night of
Saturday, July 31, in Queens in what
police offi cials described on Aug. 1 as
an apparently coordinated assault tied
to local gang activity.
Police sources said the gunfi re erupted
at about 10:38 p.m. on July 31 in
front of a laundromat near the corner of
99th Street and 37th Avenue in Corona.
Chief of Detectives James Essig told
members of the press at an Aug. 1 press
conference that one common theme had
emerged in the investigation: the shooting
appears to have been a well-executed
plan carried out by local street gang
members.
Th ree of the 10 victims had ties to the
Trinitarios gang and were believed to
have been the shooters’ intended targets,
according to Essig. But the assault
also left seven other people unconnected
to the gang activity injured; they just
happened to have been in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
“Th is was a brazen, coordinated
attack, for lack of a better word,” Essig
said.
Law enforcement sources said the
four suspects, all male, arrived on the
scene at about 10:40 p.m. on July 31,
turning eastbound onto 37th Avenue
from 97th Street. According to Essig,
the two shooters approached the location
on foot, with two others following
them from behind on mopeds.
All of them wore masks and hooded
sweatshirts to make it diffi cult for witnesses
to identify them.
“Two males immediately extend their
arms and begin fi ring in the direction of
a group in front of a barber shop,” Essig
reported. Th e shooters are hit individuals
gathered at a nearby restaurant for a
party, as well as outside a laundromat.
Aft er the shooting, the shooters
hopped aboard the suspects’ moped and
fl ed the scene in an unknown direction.
Police have obtained and released footage
from nearby security cameras showing
the gunmen going on the attack, and
their getaway.
Offi cers from the 115th Precinct and
EMS units responded to the shooting.
EMS brought the victims to Elmhurst
and NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospitals
for treatment of injuries not considered
life-threatening.
Th e unintended targets ranged in
age from 19 to 72. Th e most seriously
injured of them was an individual
who took a bullet to the stomach, Essig
noted.
Th us far, crime scene detectives have
recovered at least 40 pieces of ballistic
evidence, including shell casings and
deformed bullets.
Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes said
that footage will be critical toward solving
the case.
“Someone’s gonna see that video” and
recognize the individuals involved in
the shooting, Holmes said. “Th at’s why
we are appealing to the public. Our biggest
asset is the public when it comes to
solving crimes like this.”
Anyone with information regarding
the shooting 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 confi dential.
Adams calls for new gun violence task force after Corona mass shooting
BY DEAN MOSES
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Democratic mayoral candidate and
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams
and Council member Francisco Moya
stood at the scene of the July 31 Corona,
Queens, mass shooting on Sunday aft ernoon
to demand action.
Caution tape still billowed in the wind
as throngs of NYPD offi cers continued to
dash about the four-block radius of 99th
Street and 38th Avenue on the aft ernoon
of Aug. 1 following the nighttime shooting
carried out by two masked men in
gang-related violence on July 31, according
to police.
Adams, a former police offi cer, appeared
physically shaken shortly aft er arriving at
the scene on Aug. 1, apparently appalled
by the attackers’ disregard for human life.
Conversing with NYPD Chief of
Department Rodney Harrison, Adams
looked out at the long stretch of roadway
from where the gunmen had
wreaked havoc with a hail of bullets,
injuring 10.
Facing a legion of media cameras,
Adams called for a new Joint Guns &
Gangs Task Force in hopes of quelling
the reign of terror
brought about by
gun violence over
the last year.
“Th is level of
extreme violence
should be
unimaginable for
New York,
but it is now
our disturbing
reality. We
need a guns and
gangs task force
that goes beyond the
work of the task force already in
place and creates unprecedented
coordination between all
levels of government — and we
need it now,” Adams said. “Our
challenge is not just the number
of guns on the street, but
also the gang and crew violence
that leads to so many of our
shootings. Th ese problems
must be addressed
together through
precision policing
supported
by intelligence
gathering
and access to
information,
including all
government
databases.”
The proposed
Joint
Guns and Gangs Task Force would mandate
greater resources regarding gun
investigations, permitting federal agencies
to work together more eff ectively with
local and state law enforcement to track
illegal gun sales and fi nd local buyers and
sellers of guns in order to prevent fi rearms
from reaching the street level.
Council member Francisco Moya also
rallied around Adams’ request for action,
stating that never before had he feared
walking in his hometown of Corona until
now.
“Th is needs to stop. Th e uptick in gun
violence has been a reality of daily life
in the outer boroughs and for communities
of color,” Moya said. “Th is is not
just a Manhattan problem and concerns
about scaring away tourists. Gun violence
has been plaguing the safety of our families,
children and seniors. We are trying to
survive the COVID-19 pandemic — and a
gun violence pandemic.”
Screenshot from video courtesy of NYPD
The two suspects opening fi re during a shooting in Corona on July 31, 2021, that left 10 people
injured.
Adams was shaken by the disregard for life.
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