Five people were wounded in Yonkers Saturday night in two separate shootings that may be linked to gang activity in the community, city officials said at a morning press conference.
The first victims were shot around 9 p.m. on Locust Hill Avenue, where a pair of 18-year-olds were injured, police said. Officials said a female victim was struck in the elbow and a male was shot in the chest, and may have a punctured lung. He was last listed in critical condition.
"The initial shooting took place during a memorial service at a park, that seems to have started this chain of events," Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said at the Sunday morning briefing.
Early estimates suggest more than 100 people were in the vicinity of the park when the shots were fired. Detectives were still working the scene when reports came in of a second shooting less than a mile away.
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Officers responded to School Street around 11 p.m. and found three gunshot victims between the ages of 30 and 42. Two victims in the second shooting were taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to Yonkers officials. All three were shot in the back or chest.
Twelve hours after the first shooting, investigators were still interviewing witnesses and combing through evidence to determine a connection between the events and identify possible suspects.
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"I think it's fair to say that there might have been a gang presence at that memorial service at that location and it was a target of opportunity," said Sapienza, who believes the weapons used in each shooting were illegal.
No suspect descriptions were immediately released by officials and there have been no arrests.
The commissioner was joined at the press briefing by Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, who called for action on behalf of the federal government to stop "the flow of illegal weapons going into the hands of our kids."
"It's not going to have that kind of change unless the federal government steps in and helps out our communities. I feel like a broken record. I've said it, I'll continue to say it, I'll say it again. And unfortunately guys, I'll be here standing here in this spot, again, talking about this issue before my term ends," Spano said.
