By Sarina Trangle
Three were killed in Queens and another trio remain in the hospital after separate crimes claimed lives in Laurelton, Linden Hill and Rockaway last night, the NYPD said.
The carnage began when a fight broke out near a banquet hall at Merrick Boulevard and 225th Street at 8:28 p.m. Saturday, the Police Department said. A man with a stab wound to his stomach then allegedly drove a 2012 Nissan Altima onto the sidewalk, pinning a 20-year-old man beneath the car and injuring two women, according to the NYPD.
Police said the trapped man, Kevin Lewis, 20, of Laurelton, was discovered under the car by first responders and pronounced dead at the scene.
The women — a 19-year-old with back and neck injuries and a 21-year-old with head and leg wounds — were rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where police said they were listed in critical condition.
Cops said the driver, a 20-year-old man, fled from the collision, and was taken into custody. As of Sunday afternoon, he was being treated at Queens General Hospital for a stab wound to his stomach, and police said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding it. The NYPD said charges against him were pending.
Officers said it was unclear whether the three victims were involved in the fight.
About three hours later, the NYPD said it dispatched officers to a first floor apartment in 149-45 Northern Blvd., where Josefina Mendoza, 68,was found stabbed to death in her home. Officers said they arrested Naser Alzein, 51, and charged him with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Police were investigating whether he was dating Mendoza or just a roommate of hers, the NYPD said.
Neighbors in the Linden Wood building said they did not hear anything unusual Saturday night. New of Mendoza’s death appeared to just be spreading Sunday morning, as the super stopped by and asked an officer guarding the entrance to her apartment whether assistance was needed.
Then around 1:38 a.m. Sunday, officers said they responded to a shooting in Bayswater. Police said Tyre Casconcellos, 22, an Edgemere resident, was found unconscious with a gunshot wound to his head. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
The NYPD said it had no suspects in his death and it’s investigation was ongoing.
Reach reporter Sarina Trangle by e-mail at strangle@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4546.
