What to Know
- An off-duty correction officer was shot and killed during an apparent case of road rage with a motorcyclist in Queens, cops and the DOC say
- The 27-year-old man was found unconscious in his Honda Accord with a gunshot wound to his head in Richmond Hill
- The man was sitting at a red light when he had a dispute with someone riding a motorcycle; he was shot and then the suspect fled the scene
An off-duty correction officer was shot and killed during an apparent case of road rage with a motorcyclist in Queens, police and the Department of Corrections say.
The 27-year-old man, identified by family as Jonathan Narain, was found shot in the head and slumped behind the steering wheel of his Honda Accord around 2 a.m. Friday at the intersection of 103 Avenue and 120th Street in Richmond Hill, according to the NYPD. An EMS officer en route to another fatal shooting was the one who found Narain.
He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police say the man was sitting at a red light when he had a dispute with someone riding a motorcycle.
"The motorcyclist pulled up alongside, and there was a very short exchange of conversation, very short, and then the shot was fired," said NYPD Chief Bill Aubrey.
The suspect fled the scene. Police were investigating at the scene Friday, recovering what appeared to be a spent bullet casing near the car. They said Narain was shot once in the head at close range.
The DOC Commissioner Cynthia Brann confirmed to News 4 that the man who was killed was an off-duty CO.
"The entire Department of Correction is grieving this morning upon learning of the tragic shooting death of an off duty Correction Officer," Brann said in a statement. "My deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences go out to the officer’s family, friends, and colleagues throughout the department. We are in close communication with the NYPD.”
The victim was described as a good guy by his cousin, who also said he had plans to enroll in the NYPD police academy and had no known enemies.
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The cousin said the victim was heading to work when he was killed.
"I still don't believe it, even though I saw it on the stretcher in the hospital. I still don't believe it," said cousin Kevin Ramdhani.
Neighbor Cynthi Jairam said Narain grew up "in front of me": "I been here for 30 years. Very nice child."
No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. Police do not know what the men argued about before the motorcyclist fired the fatal shot. It's not clear whether the two men knew each other.
