The shootings began around 11:10 a.m. local time, when someone on a scooter shot a 21-year-old man in the shoulder in the Brooklyn borough. The victim was taken to hospital and is said to be in non-life-threatening condition, police said.
Seventeen minutes later, just before 11:30 a.m. local time in the Richmond Hill area of the Queens borough, an 87-year-old man was shot multiple times. He later died in a hospital from his injuries. Shortly afterwards, a witness saw a man on a scooter randomly shooting at a group of people in Queens. No one was injured in the process. About eight minutes later, a 44-year-old man was shot in the face by the same man on his scooter. He was left in critical condition at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. A few minutes later, the shooter aimed the weapon from his scooter at a 63-year-old man, who was hit in the torso. He is in stable condition in hospital.
The police have only announced that the perpetrator is a 25-year-old man who was arrested without incident. His gun and his scooter were confiscated. “We don’t know his motive. It appears his actions were arbitrary,” Assistant Chief of Police Joseph Kenny said at a news conference.