NYC shooters on scooters gun down 4 people, killing 1, police say; man in custody
Authorities in New York City said shooters riding on scooters gunned down four people on Tuesday evening, leaving one dead and three others injured.
New York City Police Department Assistant Police Chief Benjamin Gurley said the shooting happened on the corner of East Mount Eden Avenue and Townsend Avenue in the Bronx after 6 p.m., when two scooters pulled up to the intersection. Two male suspects were on each scooter and passengers on the back pulled out guns and opened fire.
Approximately 10 shots were fired in total, police said.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, NYPD said three victims, ranging in age from 23 to 37, suffered gunshot wounds to their legs. The fourth victim, identified as 29-year-old Miguel Doleo, was struck in the chest. He later died.
The NYPD said responding officers found a 23-year-old male and a 37-year-old male, both victims with gunshot wounds to the leg.
They were transported to St. Barnabas Hospital and NYC Health and Hospitals/Lincoln, respectively.
Responding officers also found a 31-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the leg, who was transported to BronxCare Health System. Doleo, who had a gunshot wound to the chest, was also transported to BronxCare Health System, where he was later pronounced deceased.
Police are not yet sure if the shooting was gang-related, Gurley added.
"The perpetrators wore masks and hoodies to block their identities and then they fled on the scooters northbound on Townsend Avenue," Gurley said.
The assistant police chief said authorities had one man in custody but said investigators are "unsure if they are directly tied to the incident."
The NYPD statement to Fox News Digital said there were no arrests and that the investigation remains ongoing.
The status of the three surviving victims was not immediately clear.
Deputy Police Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said the police department has a Community Response Team that has been working in the Bronx since April 1 to aggressively target criminals on scooters.
The team is part of a wider effort to combat crime with smaller vehicles.
"This is a prime example of why we're doing this," he said.
The department has taken 9,500 scooters, dirt bikes and ATVs off the streets since Jan. 1, including 2,500 in the Bronx, Daughtry said.
The shooting in the Bronx comes just days after the NYPD announced the end of watch for two officers, who were both shot and killed during a vehicle pursuit of a suspect.
Police officer Michael Jensen of the Syracuse Police Department and Lieutenant Michael Hoosock of the Onondaga Sheriff's Office were both killed on April 14.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.