Two men sustained gunshot wounds during a shooting incident within a Flushing building’s lobby, as reported by the NYPD. Early Tuesday, a 28-year-old man and his 61-year-old stepfather fell victim to gunshots during a marijuana transaction gone awry in a Queens apartment complex, as per the police. Both victims were promptly transported to a nearby hospital.
The stepson was conducting a cannabis deal in the lobby of a building located on 71st Ave. near 162nd St. in Flushing, just before 1 a.m. Two individuals he was selling to attempted to rob him, police revealed. “He’s openly admitted to being involved in marijuana sales,” stated NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, following a promotion ceremony at the NYPD Police Academy in Queens. “He had arranged a purchase with an unknown customer. The situation became physical during the transaction in the building’s lobby, where they attempted to steal 2 ounces of marijuana from him.”
As the altercation escalated, the victim’s father heard the commotion and rushed to the lobby. While the son was trying to fend off the assailants, one of them produced a firearm and opened fire. “His father came to his aid, and he was also shot,” Kenny explained.
The younger man sustained gunshot wounds to the upper back, according to the police, while his father was hit in the left arm. Authorities do not believe that the father was connected to the marijuana deal. “He heard the initial gunshot, came out to assist his stepson, and ended up getting shot in the forearm,” Kenny noted.
Both individuals were promptly transported to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Queens, where they were expected to make a full recovery.
