Man Fatally Shot In Apparent Queens Carjacking
Oct. 1, 2018, 1:35 p.m.
A group of masked men reportedly hit another car, forcing its driver and his girlfriend out of the vehicle before the shooting.
A group of masked carjackers shot and killed a man early Monday morning, following a collision that allegedly may have engineered as a means of stealing his vehicle.
Police say that around 3:20 a.m., officers responded to reports that a man had been shot outside the College Point Multiplex Cinemas in Flushing, Queens. When they arrived on the scene, they found a 25 year-old-man dead from gunshot wounds to his chest.
The NYPD could not provide Gothamist with any additional details, but other outlets suggest that the perpetrators may have run into the victim's car to force it off the road. ABC 7 described the incident as a "road rage crash" followed by an altercation that escalated, and the NY Daily News says that the gunmen "chased" the victim from nearby Angels Strip Club in the aftermath of an argument, but other reports paint it as a deliberate carjacking.
According to the NY Post, the victim's vehicle—reportedly, a Lexus—actually belonged to his girlfriend, who witnessed the accident. After the second car hit them, the couple pulled into the Multiplex parking lot. The perpetrators followed, and instead of the offending driver getting out to assess the damage, four masked men hopped out of the second car and "forcibly removed [the couple] from [their] vehicle at gunpoint." An argument ensued, and one of the masked men shot the victim. The suspects then drove away, taking the couple's car with them and "leaving the woman standing there in the middle of the night," per NBC 4.
Authorities found both cars abandoned close to the scene, and also recovered two firearms. According to Pix 11, they also found two women sitting inside a white BMW sedan in the theater parking lot. Although their windshield had been hit, the women themselves were unharmed. Officers are reportedly investigating the pair's potential involvement in the carjacking.
Police have not made any arrests so far, and are still seeking the suspects. We will update as the case develops.
UPDATE: According to the NY Post, the victim and his girlfriend left Angels because he felt a sense of foreboding. Speaking to police, she reportedly said he told her, "I feel like something bad is going to happen. Let’s leave." ABC 7 reports that the perpetrators followed the couple to the parking lot after they left the club.
