By Ivan Pereira and Christina Santucci
Monday turned out to be deadly for two men in southeast Queens when a Long Island father was gunned down in a hail of nearly 30 bullets early in the morning and a 26-year-old was killed outside his home later in the night, police and eyewitnesses said.
Maurice Gordon, of Freeport, L.I., was heading back to his parents’ home near 161st Street and 118th Avenue around 4:30 a.m. following a night out clubbing in Long Island with his cousin when he was shot in the chest, investigators said. The assailants used a high-powered, rapid-fire weapon to kill the 33-year-old, who was protecting his relative after a reported confrontation at the club, according to police. Crime scene officers spent the entire morning marking off at least 28 shell casings from the nearby houses and vehicles.
Gordon, who worked for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, was rushed to Jamaica Hospital but succumbed to his injuries an hour later, according to investigators. A suspect, described as a 28-32-year old black man, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall with a thin build and black hair, was being sought by the authorities but no arrests were made as of press time Tuesday, police said.
Investigators said the men who confronted Gordon and his cousin followed the pair back to Queens.
Several of Gordon’s relatives, including his wife and in-laws, went to the home to grieve with his parents and did not talk to reporters.
Ronald Coy, a friend of the Gordon’s father who lives nearby, said the victim, had a child and was working at a good job as a TSA officer at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
“He bragged about his son getting that job,” Coy said of the victim’s father, who he said was a Jamaican immigrant.
The family friend said Gordon lived on Long Island with his immediate family, but would frequently visit his parents in Queens.
“I talked to his father all the time and he would say how nice a son he had,” Coy said.
Less than 24 hours later, another man’s life was taken at the hands of a shooter, police said.
Officers responded to a call outside the home of Henry Jenkins at 111th Avenue and 179th Street in St. Albans around 11:30 p.m,, police said. There, they found the 26-year-old dead with a gunshot wound to his head, according to investigators.
No suspects had been named or arrested in that case either as of presstime Tuesday, police said. Several people who were at the house Tuesday morning refused to comment.
A neighbor who asked not to be named said Jenkins may have been involved with drugs. Although the police would not comment on the motive for the murder, a police source said Jenkins was charged with marijuana possession three years ago.
Anyone with information on either shooting is urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, text their tips to 274637 then enter TIP577 or log onto nypdcrimestoppers.com. All reports will be kept confidential.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
