1 person dead, 3 injured in shooting at Queens baby shower: NYPD

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — One person was killed and three people were injured during a shooting at a Queens baby shower early Saturday morning, according to police.

The shooting occurred outside an event space on Atlantic Avenue at 1:30 a.m., according to the NYPD.

First responders rushed a 24-year-old man, who was shot in the chest, to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. Among the injured were a 42-year-old man and two 26-year-old men, authorities said.

Inside the venue Saturday morning, pink and blue decorations were in disarray, along with overturned chairs and blood on the floor – all the signs of the deadly commotion. Outside, dozens of bullet holes riddled the windows. Evidence markers on the ground lay next to pink and blue cups.

Investigators believe that the shooting may have stemmed from a fight.

“For about four hours, they were fighting, then we heard the gunshots, pop pop pop pop,” said neighbor Wasir Rasul.

One of those bullets flew into the business next door, a dance studio for young kids. Staff at the studio said they’ve previously had problems with the event space — a feeling echoed by others in the neighborhood.

“This place is a problem,” said Rasul. “Every weekend, there’s a fight for drugs, a shooting, and everything. Every weekend.”

Another neighbor down the street told PIX11 he woke up to find a bullet in his car.

“It’s just not safe when parties happen there. It’s not safe,” he said. “People from other neighborhoods are coming in, and doing parties here, it’s not a reflection of the neighborhood. It’s just gotta be stopped.”

A person associated with the venue walked away from PIX11’s cameras Saturday morning. In a follow-up phone call, she refused to answer questions.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org , downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Charline Charles is a digital journalist from Brooklyn who has covered local news along with culture and arts in the New York City area since 2019. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here .

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