Man Shot at Dawn in Sunset Park

By Jorge Casuso

Nov. 12 -- A 24-year-old man was in serious condition Monday after being shot several times in the torso early Sunday morning near 23rd and Pearl streets in the Sunset Park Neighborhood, police said.

The incident occurred at 5:18 a.m. when the suspect's gray van pulled up alongside the vehicle the victim was driving northbound on 23rd Street, said Lt. Frank Fabrega, the police department spokesman.

"There was an exchange of words between the victim and passenger in the suspect's vehicle," Fabrega said. "The passenger in the suspect's vehicle began firing numerous shots at the victim from an unknown type of weapon."

The victim was shot several times in the upper torso, Fabrega said.

Awakened neighbors, who came out of their homes in their night clothes, reported hearing between 30 and 40 shots. Mayor Pro Tem Richard Bloom, whose bedroom faces 23rd street, said he was awakened by the shots and rushed to the window.

"You could see flashes in the street directly behind our house," Bloom said. "I waited it out. This didn't last more than a minute or so. This was extraordinarily loud. It woke up everyone. It was a frightening experience."

Bloom said the shots sounded "like automatic weapon fire," but noted that he is not an expert in firearms.

When police arrived at the scene, they found the victim laying on the ground next to his vehicle. Police could not confirm neighbors' reports that the man had driven himself home, but Fabrega said that the victim "was close to his home when he was shot."

The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he was in serious condition Monday morning.

The suspects were identified as two male Hispanics with shaved heads.

Police said the victim was not a gang member, but they have not ruled out that the incident may have been gang-related.

"We're looking into all possibilities at this time," Fabrega said.