Man Followed on Street Before Random Bed-Stuy Shooting

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A 39-year-old man was shot at random by an unidentified male suspect (pictured above) on a Bed-Stuy street Friday night, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) said.

The victim was walking near Tomkins and Myrtle Avenues on Friday, Sept. 30, around 8:15 p.m., when he noticed that the suspect was trailing his steps; the victim approached the suspect who subsequently shot the man in the abdomen, NYPD said.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and is in stable condition, police said.

The shooter is described as a black male standing approximately five-foot-eight inches to five-foot-ten inches tall, and weighing about 230 pounds, NYPD said.

The suspect was last seen wearing green army pants and a black jacket and no arrest had been made by Monday afternoon, police said.

Four blocks away, a fatal shooting occurred at a Tomkins Ave. deli only a few days prior.

Still, shootings in the 79th Precinct are way down this year compared to last: According to official police statistics, through the end of September, the number of shooting victims within the precinct had dropped 71 percent compared to last year.

Anyone with information regarding the robbery is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS. For Spanish, call 1-888-57-PISTA (74782)

The public can also submit tips by logging via the Crime Stoppers website or by texting 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577.


Lead image courtesy of NYPD.