A gunman riding a scooter opened fire in multiple New York City neighbors, seemingly at random, killing one man and injuring three others, police said.
A male suspect was taken into custody by police in Queens around 1 p.m., authorities said, adding that they had recovered a 9mm handgun with an extended clip.
The shooting spree began at Ashford Street and Arlington Avenue around 11 a.m. in Cypress Hills. A 21-year-old man was walking when he was shot once in the shoulder. He was transported to Brookdale Hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injures, police said.
"Detectives from the 75th precinct responded to the scene with patrol. As they began to process the scene, they came across video that shows a male Hispanic approach our victim from behind on a scooter, raises his hands one time and fires one time striking our victim," NYPD Assistant Chief Joseph Kenny said at an afternoon press conference.
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Then, around 11:30 a.m., an 86-year-old man was walking on Jamaica Avenue near 108th Street when he was shot multiple times in the back. He was transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and pronounced dead, police said.
Another round of shots was fired just nearby, but missed a handful of people standing outside, Kenny explained.
"Numerous witnesses described the male on a scooter randomly firing at a group of people that was standing on the corner of 108th St and Jamaica Avenue," the assistant chief said.
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Around 11:35 a.m., the suspect shot a 44-year-old man in the face at 126th Street and Hillside Avenue on the Kew Gardens-Richmond Hill border. The bullet struck the man in his cheek, leaving him in critical condition, Kenny said.
Minutes later, the suspect shot a 63-year-old man in the shoulder at 134th Street and Jamaica Avenue. He was transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center with serious, non-life threatening injuries.
The suspect's apprehension was thanks in part to the NYPD's domain awareness system which sent an alert with the suspect's description to every cop across the city. The system requires officers to acknowledge the alert in order for their phone to stop sounding. Two officers who saw the alert, recognized the suspect and arrested him on the corner of Sutphin Boulevard and 94th Avenue in Queens.
At the media briefing, police said the suspect was a 25-year-old with at least one prior arrest in the city. Then on Sunday, police identified the gunman as Thomas Abreu, though the motive remains unknown.
What prompted the suspect's daytime rampage across multiple boroughs is not yet clear. NYPD officials said footage obtained in the hours immediately following the shooting appear to show "randomly shooting."
"At this time, we don't know the motive. It seems that his acts were random. If you look at the demographics and pedigree of the victims, they're all different at this time," Kenny said.
Mayor Eric Adams was briefed on the shooting and plans to meet with the families of the injured men, sources said.
