Video shows Queens barber grapple with gunman in barbershop shooting
NEW YORK - Gunmen opened fire inside of a busy barbershop on Roosevelt Avenue in Corona, Queens Friday.
The shooting was caught on surveillance video, which shows barbers and customers ducking for cover and running.
The shooting comes after police enforcement was stepped up in the area just last month.
Rafael Abreu, one of the barbers, can be seen trying to hold two gunmen down to keep them from shooting, but another one grabs the pistol and fires before taking off. A bullet hole pierced the wall.
Thankfully, no-one was hurt.
Abreu spoke about the incident in Spanish, which was translated by former City Councilmember Hiram Monserrate at the event.
"It was very emotional to me. I protected two peoples lives," Abreu said.
Local leaders praised Abreu Monday, saying his actions saved lives. They also called for more to be done to keep residents safe.
"[I] wanted to avoid bloodshed and [I] believed they were not only going to shoot the guy that they were after, but many of the people that were going to be here in the barbershop," Abreu said. "I feel very unsafe."
"We need to keep the police in our neighborhood"
NYPD data shows crime in the area is up 19% compared to the same time last year.
"The shootings, the cartels, the drug gangs, the prostitution, the brothels. We can't stop it unless we have police officers on our street," Monserrate said.
"We need to keep the police in our neighborhood," Ramone Ramirez of the Let's Improve Roosevelt coalition said.
The shooting took place as Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul launched Operation Restore Roosevelt last month. It's a 90-day crackdown aimed at addressing public safety and quality of life concerns on Roosevelt Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods. Queens officials also announced a seven point plan to crack down on crime, and clean up.
"We need the initiative to stay here for 90-days and beyond, until our community and peace and safety," Monserrate said.
So far there have been no arrests. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
