Three Shootings Take Place at Queensbridge Houses in Past Week

Queensbridge Houses (Jim Henderson)

July 3, 2018 By Christian Murray

There have been three separate shootings at Queensbridge Houses in the past week, the Astoria Post has learned.

The incidents come at a time when there has been an uptick in shootings at public housing developments in Astoria and Long Island City, according to the 114th Precinct.

The first shooting took place at Queensbridge on Tuesday, June 26 at 4:15 a.m., when a 35-year-old man was shot in the right leg in front of 41-09 12^th Street, police said.

The victim went to Mt. Sinai Hospital on his own accord in stable condition. The police were notified about the gunshot and he was arrested since there were many open warrants for his arrest.

The following day, at 3 p.m., a 32-year-old man was shot in the left leg in front of 41-10 Vernon Blvd after getting into a dispute. He was taken to Mt Sinai Hospital in stable condition and was later transferred to St Luke’s Hospital. There have been no arrests.

Then on Monday, a 25-year-old man was shot in the left leg in front of 41-03 10^th Street at around 1:40 a.m. by an unknown suspect. Police said the victim was uncooperative and that he claimed he heard gunshots before discovering that he had been shot in the leg.

Last Tuesday, at the 114^th Community Precinct Meeting, Deputy Inspector Osvaldo Nunez said that shootings on housing developments continue to be a problem. He said that there are five known crews in Queensbridge Houses. A crew consists of between 15 and 30 members and are known for getting into disputes with other groups.

“Three shootings in seven days is a lot,” said Raymond Normandeau , who has lived at Queensbridge Houses since 1973 and runs the website queensbridge.us dedicated to the public housing development. However, “we are accustomed to this. If we were in a suburban area people would be horrified.”

He said that the problem isn’t as bad as the days of the crack epidemic. “Back then we would hear gun shots from our apartment two or three times a week. Recently, it’s been about one a month.”