By Howard Koplowitz
A young Ozone Park father was gunned down in his bedroom at his 128th Street home Sunday night, police and neighbors said.
Residents of 128th Street said they heard three shots around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, but 911 was not called until around 4:26 p.m. Monday, according to police, when authorities found 30-year-old Norman Mizzell lying face-down in his bedroom with gunshot wounds to his chest and stomach.
There had been no arrests in Mizzell’s murder as of Tuesday, police said.
Neighbors said Mizzell recently graduated from APEX Technical School and was in the process of sending out hundreds of résumés to become an air-conditioning repairman when he was gunned down.
“How the hell did this happen?” asked Edward Sinclair, 59, a neighbor of Mizzell’s who said he heard a loud noise Sunday night that woke him up.
Another neighbor who asked not to be named said Mizzell never caused trouble.
“We’re shocked. We can’t believe this happened, especially to him,” the neighbor said.
Like Sinclair, the neighbor said she also heard a noise but thought it was firecrackers, which she said is a common occurrence in the neighborhood of small houses during the summer.
“Last night I heard, ‘Bang, bang, bang,’ but it’s usually just firecrackers,” she said.
Another neighbor said Mizzell, who had a young daughter who did not live with him, was known as “All-Star” in the neighborhood because he was a skilled basketball player.
“He was applying for jobs and sending out his résumé,” said the neighbor, who asked not to be named. “He had an interview [Tuesday] or [Wednesday]. He was real happy about that.”
A fourth neighbor who did not want to be named said the sound of gunshots is frequent, but the people on the block could not comprehend why Mizzell was killed, saying he did not have any enemies.
“It happens all the time over here. It’s not new,” he said of the shots. “Everyone’s just dumbfounded.”
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
