By Jeff Lipton
Detectives are trying to determine why a 27-year-old man fired into a crowd with a 20-gauge shotgun last week on an Inwood Street corner, police said. The intended targets all escaped injury, according to police.
The suspect, who was identified as Derrick Varnon of Bayview Avenue in Inwood, was arrested by police shortly after he sprayed gunfire from a 20-gauge shotgun into a crowd of more than 15 men and women across from 213 Lawrence Avenue in Inwood, on Tuesday, September 12, at 7:55 P.M., detectives said.
No one was reported injured in the shooting. But the incident has left investigators searching for a motive.
"It appears to be an on-going problem with the individual who was arrested and several other residents in Inwood," said Detective Sergeant John Azzata of the Fourth Squad. But he could not say what the argument was about.
"The suspect invoked his right to be silent so we didn't get it from him and the intended victims are not telling us anything because they know he was mad enough that he wanted to shoot at them. We may never find out the actual reason," the sergeant added.
"It must really be some dispute for all of them to have a beef with him," the sergeant said.
One police report stated that the suspect fired a shotgun blast through his girlfriend's front door because she would not speak with him.
The crowd, consisting of men and women between 18 and 30 years old, were gathered on the street corner when the gunman opened fire with the pistol-grip shotgun, authorities said. The intended targets scattered when he approached and they jumped into three separate cars to escape the bullets, Sergeant Azzata said.
The gunman is believed to have fired two times, with one bullet piercing the door of a house across from 213 Lawrence Avenue. No one was reported injured inside the building. Police do not know where the other bullet ended up.
"They were very fortunate," Inspector Frank Matzen, commanding officer of the Fourth Precinct, said of the crowd. "Anytime a firearm is involved, there is always risk of serious injury. I'm thankful that no one was hurt and that we were able to apprehend the subject. He is known to the police due to his criminal activities in the past."
He said there were at least six victims who were in "direct line of fire" of the gunman. "I don't know if the victims dove for cover or the gunman is a really poor marksman. That I don't know," the inspector said.
"He was across the street [when he fired the shotgun]," said Sergeant Azzata. "They were just lucky enough to get away."
Police responded to initial calls for shots fired. Following a brief investigation, Mr. Varnon was arrested shortly after the incident as he exited 213 Lawrence Avenue.
He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.
In addition, he was wanted on warrants for criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, unlawful possession of marijuana and resisting arrest, stemming from an incident on December 5, 1999; and a warrant for grand larceny in the fourth degree for an April 7, 2000 incident, police said.
He also has a prior arrest record, which detectives were unable to access at the time because of an "electronic glitch," Sergeant Azzata said.
Detectives said they recovered a Mossberg pistol-grip shotgun with a defaced serial number from the scene.
Mr. Varnon was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Wednesday, September 13. Bail was set at $150,000, according to a spokesperson for the Nassau County District Attorney's Office.
