A Queens grand jury indicted a Kew Gardens Hills man for allegedly shooting two men during an argument over a parking spot.
Alan Rodrigues, 22, of 147-24 79th Ave., was arraigned on Dec. 18 in Queens Supreme Court on a six-count indictment charging him with two counts each of attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
According to the charges, on the night of Nov. 3, Jignesh Patel, 34, and Vijay Patel, 41, and two other men were standing outside their vehicle, a silver Toyota that was double-parked in front of 147-27 79th Ave. in Kew Gardens Hills at around 8:30 p.m. A black Acura MDX with New York plates pulled up alongside the group, and they saw Rodriguez step out of the vehicle with a man in the driver’s seat and a woman in the backseat, according to the criminal complaint.
Rodriguez began to argue with the two men and pulled out a black firearm with an extended clip. As the woman in the black vehicle shouted, “Stop. Don’t do it,” Rodriguez opened fire, striking the 41-year-old victim in his left knee and the 34-year-old victim in his left foot.
Police from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows responded to a 911 call of shots fired at the location and found the injured men on the roadway. Rodriguez and the black Acura MDX were not at the crime scene. An eyewitness told the cops that the gunman wore all-black clothing and had curly hair. EMS responded to the location and rushed the wounded men to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition, according to an NYPD spokesman.
Back at the location, investigators from the 107th Precinct recovered five 9mm shell casings at the crime scene and saw a man wearing black clothing with curly hair. The witness told the officer that the man was Alan Rodriguez. The officers took him into custody just after midnight. Rodriguez told the officer, “I was protecting myself. I have a kid,” according to the criminal complaint.
“As alleged in the indictment, the defendant shot two men over a parking dispute,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “This was a completely senseless act of violence, and the two victims will now carry injuries for the rest of their lives. My office is committed to removing illegal guns from our communities.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino ordered Rodriguez remanded back into custody, where he is being held on $1 million cash bail on the original securing order. Rodriguez was ordered to return to court on Feb. 3, 2025. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
