Police officers shot a gun-toting suspect who allegedly shot a bouncer outside an Ozone Park nightclub during an altercation early on Saturday morning, it was reported.
Authorities said the trouble began at about 3:50 a.m. on March 9 outside the RRR Bar and Lounge located at 87-18 Liberty Ave., near 88th Street.
Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison provided preliminary details about the incident during an early morning press briefing at the scene. According to Harrison, the suspect, a 32-year-old man, got into a dispute with a 38-year-old man outside the establishment. NBC New York reported that the 38-year-old man worked at the club as a bouncer.
During the dispute, Harrison said, the 32-year-old suspect shot the 38-year-old male in the left foot.
At about the time police received a 911 call about the shooting, Harrison noted, members of the 106th Precinct Anti-Crime Unit — a sergeant and three police officers, all wearing plain clothes and riding in an unmarked vehicle — passed the club and witnessed the altercation.
“As the officers exited their unmarked vehicle, they observed the victim and the suspect fighting for control of a firearm,” Harrison said. “The officers ordered the suspect to drop the firearm. The suspect refused the officer’s demands, at which time the officers discharged their firearms.”
The 32-year-old man sustained gunshot wounds to his torso and arm, according to Harrison.
Paramedics rushed the suspect and the 38-year-old man to Jamaica Hospital. Both are listed in stable condition, and are expected to recover from their injuries.
At the crime scene, Harrison noted, officers recovered the 9 mm firearm that the suspect allegedly held, along with a knife.
The chief added that police obtained body camera footage of the incident, which is now being reviewed by the NYPD Force Investigation Division as part of its probe into the shooting.
On Saturday afternoon, the Ozone Park Residents Block Association and its president, Sam Esposito, sent a statement to QNS condemning the incident, and imploring city and state agencies “to investigate, look into and rescind” the RRR Bar and Lounge’s liquor license.
“The Ozone Park Residents Block Association is disgusted with the “RRR Lounge” and the problems this location, this element of clientele, and the improper management this establishment has caused to our family community,” the statement read. “This is NOT the first incident and it should be noted that this same individual has had problems with another bar in Brooklyn. This not only disrupts our lives but that of all the businesses that cannot open while the investigation is current and still active. This is not a heavily commercial block and therefore should not be entertaining bars of any kind.”
This story was updated on March 9 at 2:25 p.m.
