Aug. 1, 2021 By Christian Murray
Eight men and two women were shot in a mass shooting in front of a Mexican restaurant in Corona Saturday night, according to police.
None of the victims sustained life threatening injuries, despite nearly 40 shots being fired in what police describe as a brazen assault.
The mass shooting took place in front of Dos Bro’s, located at 97-07 37th Ave., at around 10:40 p.m. and four suspects are wanted for the attack.
According to police, two gunmen walked up in front of the restaurant and fired dozens of shots toward a crowd that included people standing outside the establishment and innocent bystanders on the sidewalk. The two shooters were then picked up by two men on mopeds and they all rode off eastbound on 37th Avenue.
The police released a video of the incident Sunday morning.
Chief of Detectives James Essig said during a press briefing Sunday morning that that the incident was a “coordinated attack.”
“After they fire at least 37 times that we know of, they calmly get on the back of the scooters and take off. Very brazen, to say the least,” Essig said.
“This was, as I can most accurately describe it, a brazen, coordinated attack.”
Among the 10 victims, seven were unintended targets and three are known gang members, affiliated with the street gang Trinitario.
Suspect
Police have yet to identity the suspects, although the NYPD provided a description and photos of them.
One shooter was seen wearing a black hoody, black mask, gray pants, and black sneakers. He used a handgun to fire multiple shots. The other shooter, who also fired multiple shots, was wearing a hoody, a mask, gray pants, and black sneakers.
One of the moped riders was seen wearing a gray sweater with an American eagle logo and black pants. The other moped rider was described as wearing a black sweatshirt.
Several elected officials voiced their outrage Sunday about the audaciousness of the attack.
Council Member Francisco Moya and Democratic Mayoral Candidate Eric Adams held a joint press conference Sunday afternoon by the restaurant.
“The uptick in guy violence has been a reality of daily life in the outer boroughs and for communities of color,” Moya said. “We are trying to survive the COVID-19 pandemic—and a gun violence pandemic.”
Moya said that the community needs to work with the local precinct—the NYPD 115th Precinct — to tackle the problem. He said he is advocating for the neighborhood expansion of programs such as Saturday Night Lights, a program that provides nighttime activities for teenagers, and Cure Violence, which focuses on conflict resolution in communities that have high levels of gun violence.
Meanwhile, Adams called for a joint guns and gangs task force across governmental agencies and additional resources to prevent gun violence.
He said he wants his entire anti-crime agenda to be acted on immediately, including new federal resources, a citywide special prosecutor to handle gun cases, and additional funding for the City’s Crisis Management System and the NYPD’s Gun Suppression Division.
Meanwhile, at a separate press conference at ElmCor Youth & Adult Activities Center in Corona on Sunday, several officials—include New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, State Sen. Jessica Ramos, Assembly member Jeffrion Aubry and Julie Won (Democratic candidate for the 26th Council District)—spoke out against gun violence.
“This is a tragic day for our community,” Ramos said, adding that the violence cannot be allowed to continue.
She said that too many guns are on the streets of New York and called on the federal government to stop the Iron Pipeline, where guns are trafficked from the South to the City.
Williams described the incident as a “scourge on our community.”
Anyone with information in regard to the shooting is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). All calls are confidential.
