On January 1, 2025, a shooting outside the Amazura Concert Hall in Queens, New York City left ten people wounded. The victims, most of them teenagers, were attending a private memorial event at the Jamaica, Queens venue when gunfire erupted.
The injured, aged between 16 and 20, were part of a crowd outside the venue when three to four men approached and fired around 30 shots.
“A memorial for a teen lost to gun violence turned to horror when gunmen opened fire on the crowd,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
According to the Chief of Patrol at the New York Police Department (NYPD), Philip Rivera, the shooting took place around 11:20 p.m. About 90 people were inside the venue attending a private memorial for 16-year-old Taearion Mungo, who was shot to death in Brooklyn, New York City. The shooting started when approximately 15 people were gathered outside the venue.
NYPD officials revealed that the victims included six females and four males. All were rushed to local hospitals, including Long Island Jewish Hospital and Cohen Children’s Medical Center. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the venue responded by calling the event a “senseless act” and pledged to work closely with law enforcement to facilitate an exhaustive investigation.
The authorities are on the lookout for a gray Infiniti Q50 with a red interior and New Jersey license plates, believed to have been used as the escape vehicle. Surveillance footage captured four individuals running towards the venue and then quickly leaving after the shooting.
While potential gang involvement is being investigated, law enforcement officials have clarified that the incident was not an act of terrorism. The NYPD is actively following leads and has sought public assistance in identifying the culprits.
The Amazura Concert Hall, a venue capable of accommodating 4,000 attendees and known for hosting DJs and live performances, has been cooperative throughout the investigation process.
Given the crowded nature of the private gathering, Chief Rivera has encouraged the community to share any additional information they might have.
The start of New Year in New York City was marked by violence, with two men killed and eight others injured in a series of slashings, stabbings, and shootings, as per law enforcement reports.
The first homicide of 2025 involved a 50-year-old man found with a neck injury around 4:20 a.m. at the intersection of West 137th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem. The police reported that he was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A 39-year-old man has been detained for questioning in relation to the incident.
Approximately an hour later, another murder took place, claiming the life of 46-year-old Mario Fowler and injuring a 23-year-old man outside an apartment building on East 170th Street near Clay Avenue in the Claremont Village area of the Bronx.
Fowler, shot in both legs, managed to get to his building down the street, where someone called for emergency services. He was transported to St Barnabas Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The younger victim was found nearby with a minor injury to his chin.
The two men were shot when a gunman targeted a group gathered outside the building. It remains unclear whether either man was the intended target.
In an earlier incident on December 30, 2024, a shooting at a convenience store on White Plains Road in the Bronx injured six people, including a 40-year-old mother and her 12-year-old daughter. The mother was reportedly used as a human shield by one of the intended targets. None of the victims sustained life-threatening injuries. The suspects fled on foot.
On December 5, 2024, gunfire erupted from a car at the intersection of Classon Avenue and Fulton Street in Brooklyn around 2:57 p.m. Details about injuries or arrests have not been released, and the investigation continues.