NEW YORK CITY, NY – A violent episode unfolded in the Bronx on Tuesday evening as four individuals were targeted in a shooting incident by attackers on scooters, according to local authorities. The assault resulted in one fatality and left three others injured.
The attack took place after 6 p.m. at the intersection of East Mount Eden Avenue and Townsend Avenue. Two scooters, each carrying two male suspects, arrived at the scene. The passengers on the scooters then unveiled firearms and began shooting, discharging around ten rounds, as reported by the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
The NYPD confirmed that three of the victims, aged between 23 and 37, sustained injuries to their legs from the gunfire. The fourth victim, a 29-year-old man named Miguel Doleo, was hit in the chest and later succumbed to his injuries.
Emergency responders found the victims and transported them to local hospitals. The two victims with leg injuries, a 23-year-old and a 37-year-old, were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital and NYC Health and Hospitals/Lincoln, respectively. Another victim, a 31-year-old male also with a leg injury, and Doleo were taken to BronxCare Health System.
Authorities have yet to determine whether the incident was gang-related. The assailants, who were masked and hooded to conceal their identities, escaped northbound on Townsend Avenue on their scooters. Although one man has been detained, his connection to the incident remains unclear. The NYPD stated that no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
In response to the rise in crimes involving smaller vehicles like scooters, the NYPD has a Community Response Team working in the Bronx since the start of April. The team is part of a broader initiative to counter criminal activity involving these smaller vehicles. Since the start of the year, the department has confiscated 9,500 such vehicles, including 2,500 in the Bronx alone.