Gunman on scooter goes on 'random' shooting spree across NYC; kills elderly man, wounds 3 others, police say

One person was killed and three more were injured Saturday when a man riding a scooter randomly fired at pedestrians in Queens and Brooklyn, New York City Police Department authorities said in a press conference.

"At this time, we don't know the motive. It seems that his acts were random. If you look at the demographics and pedigree of the victims, they're all different," NYPD Assistant Chief Joseph Kenny said in a press conference.

"Video shows that he's not targeting anybody - he's not following anybody as he's driving on his scooter, he's randomly shooting people."

The first incident occurred in Brooklyn at about 11:10 am at the northwest corner of Ashford Street and Arlington Avenue when a 21-year-old Hispanic man was shot once the left shoulder, Kenny said. The victim was transported to the hospital and is expected to survive.

Video showed the victim was approached from behind by a Hispanic man on a scooter, police said. The shooter raised his hand one time and fired one time, striking the victim.

Just 17 minutes later, a second incident occurred in Queens on Jamaica Avenue during which an 87-year-old Asian or Pacific Islander male victim was shot in the back. Witnesses told police the shooter was on a scooter and was firing at a nail salon. The victim was transported to the hospital but did not survive his injuries.

No one was struck during the third incident during which a shot was fired, Kenny said, adding that numerous witnesses again described a male on a scooter randomly firing at a group of people standing on a corner of 108th Street and Jamaica Avenue.

The scooter-riding perpetrator then proceeded northbound toward Hillside Avenue, police said. At approximately 11:35 a.m., a 44-year-old Hispanic male was shot once in the face in the fourth incident. This victim was also transported to the hospital and is in critical condition, police said.

Less than a minute later, the fifth and final incident occurred. The victim in the final incident was a 63-year-old Hispanic male who sustained a single gunshot wound to his right shoulder. He is in stable condition at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

Authorities apprehended the shooter at 1:10 p.m. on the corner of Sutphin Boulevard and 94th Avenue in Queens, roughly two hours after the initial incident in Brooklyn.

Assistant Chief Kenny said the perpetrator, a 25-year-old Hispanic male, had one prior arrest in New York City.

Authorities did not immediately release victims' names as notifications were still being made to family members.

"Our hearts go out to all the families affected by the senseless violence," said NYPD acting Police Commissioner Edward Caban.

Caban said the shooter was riding a "illegal scooter" without a license plate as he moved from one location to the next.

Investigators quickly pulled video of the shooter and sent an image of the shooter to all NYPD officers' cell phones using a "critical message," Caban said.

Armed with an image of the suspected shooter, officers fanned out across Queens, focusing on the main thoroughfares. Officers from the 103rd and 113th precincts spotted the shooter on his scooter shortly after 1 p.m. and took him into custody.

NYPD shared photos of the scooter the man was driving as well as a firearm recovered at the scene.

A 9 mm pistol with an extended magazine was recovered from inside the scooter.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, Assistant Chief Kenny said at the press conference.

Watch coverage from WNYW below of a man on a scooter who shot multiple people in multiple New York City boroughs Saturday, leaving one elderly man dead.

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