The people, aged 19 to 72, are being treated in local hospitals for non-life threatening injuries, New York City police said.
At around 10:38 p.m. on Saturday, police responded to numerous 911 calls about a shooting, Assistant Chief Galen Frierson of the NYPD’s Patrol Borough of Queens North said at a news conference Sunday morning.
“A preliminary report shows two men on the sidewalk on the north side of 37th Avenue approached east from 97th Street while waving guns,” Frierson said. “The riflemen walked up to the crowd, fired numerous shots before jumping back on two scooters driven by two other men and escaping from the scene.”
The police are now looking for the four alleged perpetrators. They are described as men who wore masks and hooded sweaters.
CNN defines a mass shooting as a shootout in which four or more people were injured or killed without the shooter.
“I just want to bring out a common topic that comes up again and again and has to stop all over town,” said James Essig, chief of the criminal investigation department, during the press conference. “These are gang members, these are guns – multiple guns at the scene – scooters that are used, masks and ultimately unintentional targets that are hit. It’s unacceptable on our streets in New York City and needs to stop. “
Police believe three of the ten injured are members of the Trinitarios gang and the other seven victims were not deliberate targets, he said.
“The rise in gun violence is a reality of everyday life on the outskirts and for communities of color. This is not just a Manhattan issue that is making headlines because we are concerned about deterring tourists,” said Alderman Francisco Moya, who heads the the 21st parish, which includes the Corona neighborhood where the shooting took place, it said in a statement.
“We’re trying to survive the COVID-19 pandemic – and a gun violence pandemic. For this reason I am working on giving our neighborhood more opportunities for intervention through Saturday Night Lights and Cure Violence. “
The Gun Violence Archive recorded the Queens mass shooting as one of five mass shootings that occurred on Saturday. Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky also saw mass shootings with no reported deaths, GVA reported on Sunday.
CNN’s Chuck Johnston contributed to this report.
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