The block across from Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens was closed off with crime scene tape Wednesday morning as homicide detectives investigated a fatal shooting that occurred in the early morning hours of May 31.
Officers responded to a 911 call of a man shot near the parking garage of an apartment building at 123-20 82nd Ave. just after 2 a.m. on May 31. Upon their arrival, officers discovered a 32-year-old man lying in a pool of blood with gunshot wounds to his chest.
EMS responded to the location and pronounced the man dead at the scene. His identity is pending family notification.
A witness who lives in the apartment building was awakened after the shooting.
“My wife heard what sounded like firecrackers, I said no those were gunshots,” he said. “I looked out the window and saw the body laying there.”
Investigators believe the dead man had pulled a sharp object on the 65-year-old man and attempted to rob him. The older man pulled out a handgun and allegedly fired at his assailant, according to an NYPD spokesperson.
The firearm was recovered at the scene.
A person of interest was taken into custody for questioning at the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill but has not been charged, according to an NYPD spokesman.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Additional reporting by Lloyd Mitchell.
