The NYPD released images Sunday night of a vehicle involved in a drive-by shooting in South Ozone Park earlier that morning in which a visiting priest was injured.
Father Damian Ekete, 49, of Bronx’s Church of the Holy Spirit was walking in the area of 134th Street and Rockaway Boulevard at 12:08 a.m. on May 8 when the vehicle pulled up to the location.
Seconds later, authorities said, an individual inside the car opened fire, striking Ekete in the right arm. The vehicle then fled the scene.
Officers from the 106th Precinct and EMS units responded to the incident. Ekete, who WABC-TV reported had been visiting friends in the neighborhood and was waiting for a cab ride home, was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was treated and released.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting that could prove helpful is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish speakers, dial 888-57-PISTA), visit their website or send a text message to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
