1 dead, 2 injured in possible gang-related shooting

<p>A shootout in Williamsburg left a 19-year-old man dead and two other people injured Wednesday afternoon, and sources say gang violence may have played a role.</p>

News 12 Staff

May 23, 2018, 6:47 PM

Updated 2,156 days ago

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1 dead, 2 injured in possible gang-related shooting
A shootout in Williamsburg left a 19-year-old man dead and two other people injured Wednesday afternoon, and sources say gang violence may have played a role.
The gunfire started when a car pulled up around 12:45 p.m. on Hewes Street, a few blocks away from the NYPD's 90th Precinct building. People in the car and another group exchanged shots that struck at least three men.
Police recovered two guns at the scene.
One of the victims drove himself to NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. Another was taken to Bellevue. Both of them are in stable condition. They are 21 and 19 years old.
Natalie Cruz said she performed CPR on one of the victims and called 911. 
"I could see it in his eyes that he was slowly leaving," she said. At first, she said she didn't notice the bullet wound in his head. But when he turned and said something, she saw a lot of blood.
"I still continued to try," she said. "I wasn't going to give up."
Gun violence has decreased in the neighborhood, and the afternoon shootout shocked some neighbors.
"I think it used to happen a lot more often back in the day -- but daytime gunfights probably aren't exactly common," said Evan Ruster.
Police did not immediately identify the slain 19-year-old. People near the scene of the shooting who identified themselves as his friends say he was a local rapper.


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