Homicide detectives from the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park are still investigating the cause of a fatal shooting that occurred early Monday morning in front of a South Ozone Park nightclub. While they have yet to identify the gunman or establish a motive, they have determined the victim’s identity and notified his family.
The NYPD announced on Tuesday evening that Temel Phillips of 102nd Avenue in Queens Village was the man who was shot multiple times in front of the Caribbean Fest Lounge at 116-14 Rockaway Blvd., more than nine miles away from his home.
An NYPD spokeswoman said the detectives are still working to establish a motive behind the fatal shooting that occurred at around 1:04 a.m., bringing police from the 106th Precinct to the crime scene, where they found Phillips covered in blood after being shot multiple times throughout his body, including his head, chest, leg and abdomen, according to law enforcement sources.
EMS responded to the location and rushed Phillips to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a short while later. Crime scene investigators used plastic cups to mark the spots where six unknown caliber shell casings were recovered on Rockaway Boulevard. The NYPD spokeswoman said there is no description yet of the suspect who remains at large and that the homicide investigation remains ongoing. A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to the gunman’s arrest.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through Apr. 28, the 106th Precinct reported one other murder so far this year after reporting none at the same point last year, according to the latest CompStat report.
