According to the sources, the shooting stemmed from a beef the victim had with the suspect dating back to Feb. 7 inside the hallway of 18-15 Everdell Ave., in Far Rockaway, just before 5 p.m. that February evening. When the fight escalated, one of the teens allegedly shot the other in the left leg. The victim was treated for his wounds and survived.
Some ten days later, police arrested the alleged shooter in that incident – but the victim reportedly refused to cooperate with the investigation, leading to prosecutorial delays, and ultimately, the shooter’s release.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is weighing in after a 15-year-old boy was shot on a Queens subway train on Monday evening, the second 15-year-old to be seriously injured in the borough due to gun violence.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Then, at about 6 p.m. on April 27, the victim of the February shooting was riding the Manhattan-bound A train near the 80th Street station in Ozone Park with a friend, when the victim noticed the alleged shooter, the 15-year-old boy.
The February shooting victim got into an argument with the teenager when the original victim’s friend snatched a gun that had been around his ankle, then opened fire on the 15-year-old boy.
Police reported that the teen was struck in the neck and back. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in critical but stable condition. Both the February shooting victim and his friend, the suspected shooter in this incident, fled on from the station.
While detectives have identified the victims of both the Feb. 7 and April 27 shootings, though they have not released their names due to their ages, the shooter in Monday’s incident still remains unidentified. He is described as having braids and was last seen wearing all black clothing and gray sneakers.
The rush hour shooting caused havoc and sent commuters running for their lives.
“People were sitting on their way to the station when I heard two shots fired,” rider junior told amNewYork. ‘The train stopped, and police started running down the platform, and they told everyone to come downstairs.”
So far, no arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
NYPD Chief Transit Joseph Gulotta responds to the shooting.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell