NYPD detectives shoot gunmen who opened fire at party in Queens, 4 suspects injured
NEW YORK -- Plainclothes NYPD detectives exchanged gunfire with four suspects outside a party overnight in Queens.
Surveillance video shows chaos as partygoers hopped fences trying to flee from gunfire that erupted late Friday near 219th Street and 130th Avenue in Laurelton.
Neighbors told CBS2's Christina Fan the shots were so loud, they thought they were fireworks.
"That's when I went to the bathroom. I looked out the window and I saw the kids were screaming, and then they started jumping over my fence and coming into my yard," said Sophia Steadman-Franklin.
Police said neighbors expressed concern about the large gathering before things got our of hand, which prompted members of the Violent Crime Squad to put an unmarked car with plainclothes detectives on the block.
Witnesses say the party was mostly for teenagers and may have been held as a sendoff for someone heading to college, but it turned violent when a small group of armed suspects arrived.
Around 11:30 p.m., the detectives saw men approach the intersection. Two groups then allegedly exchanged fire.
"It was about 75 to 100 people at this party, and now you have a group of males firing into this group of people who were partying," said NYPD Chief of Patrol Jeff Maddrey.
Realizing danger was imminent, police said detectives engaged the suspects, injuring and arresting four of them. All four are expected to survive.
The suspects are 16, 17, 18, and 24 years old. At least two of them have a criminal history.
Police said they recovered three guns. There were at least 39 evidence markers at the scene spread across three blocks and yards.
Maddrey said the shooting illustrates "how gun violence continues to beleaguer our communities. And again, I implore members of our community that it's so important to work together with your police so we can put an end to this gun violence."
He encouraged the public to call for help when situations look ripe for violence.
A neighbor told CBS2's Dave Carlin there are too many illegal guns on the streets.
"They're coming here with guns for what? It makes no sense," one neighbor said.
None of the officers involved were injured, police said.