By:Jeff Lipton
Friends and teammates of a 16-year-old Lawrence High School athlete reacted with shock after the teen was shot and wounded last week as he talked with friends outside an Inwood deli.
The victim, a junior at Lawrence High School whose identity is being withheld by the Herald, was talking with three friends in front of Landmark Minimart, at 148 Doughty Boulevard, when he was struck by a bullet at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17, detectives said. Six others were also standing in front of the shop but they were not with the victim, said Det. Ronald Schepis of the Fourth Squad.
The shot was fired into the crowd from a passing car, police said. It was not clear who was the intended target of the gunfire, police added. The gunman was sitting in a rear passenger seat of a late-model black Nissan Maxima occupied by five male passengers and one female passenger, investigators said.
Det. Schepis said a total of about four or five shots were squeezed off. One of the bullets, of small caliber, possibly from a .22 caliber handgun, struck the 16-year-old in the wrist of his right hand and the bullet traveled through his hand and ended up in the tip of the pinkie, shattering his pinkie, officials said.
The victim, whose father is a New York City police officer, was rushed to Peninsula Hospital Center in Far Rockaway, where he underwent surgery on his finger to remove the bullet. He spent a few days in the hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, officials said.
Meanwhile, detectives are trying to piece together clues about who fired the shots.
There were a whole bunch of kids at the location,Det. Schepis said. It could have been shot at anyone. At this point, he [the 16-year-old] does not appear to be the [intended target.] The victim says he has no enemies.
The victim is a backup quarterback on the Lawrence High School Golden Tornadoes football team, as well as a defensive back, and is a pitcher on the baseball squad.
We were shocked when we heard. All the kids were shocked,said Pat Pizzarelli, the Lawrence school district's supervisor of health, physical education and athletics. These kinds of things don't happen in the neighborhood. Students and other people are visiting him and his family and they are all rallying behind him to get better.
Our only hope is that they get this guy [the gunman] off the street as quick as possible. We don't want these people in our neighborhood.
Pizzarelli said he heard that the teen bought a hot chocolate at Landmark deli and exited the store shortly before the gunshots were fired.
I believe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time,he said.
He's a great kid,he added. He's very nice and very polite. He's also very respectful and works hard on the athletic field.
Sources said they heard that the gunfire may have been gang-related, but do not believe there are any gang groups in the Five Towns. Far Rockaway has many gangs, they added.
It's very, very scary,Pizzarelli said. Years ago, when kids had a fight, they fought with their hands. Now they have guns, knives and box cutters.
One parent, whose son attends Lawrence High School, said many of the students and football team members hang around Landmark after school or after football practice.
All the kids go there in the morning to get a drink,she said. The owner is very, very nice to the kids. All the kids love his sausage patties.
All the parents are freaking out,she added. I'm afraid. I want to know what happened.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is urged to call 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls will be kept strictly confidential, police said.
