A Catholic priest waiting for a taxi at a Queens intersection early Sunday was wounded by a stray bullet, police said.
The Rev. Damien Ekete was standing near the intersection of 134th Street and Rockaway Boulevard in South Ozone Park at about 12:15 a.m. when he heard gunfire and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm, police said.
The 49-year-old priest was attending a social gathering the previous night, according to Joseph Zilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York.
Ekete was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was treated and released.
"I'm kind of in shock right now," one resident said.
Ekete, an international priest from Nigeria, has served about five years at Church of the Holy Spirit in the Bronx, Zilling said.
"The priest is the best. The priest is the best. A very good priest. Excellent person. He's the best," Rev. Ricardo Fajardo said.
Investigators started posting flyers around the neighborhood Sunday. The flyers show a sedan that police are looking for in connection with the shooting.
Local
"The gangs and everything have turned the area into a less family friendly area into almost a war zone in some areas," a resident said.
No arrests have been made.
