10 People Shot Outside NY Laundromat Before Suspects Fled on Mopeds

At least 10 people were shot on Saturday night when two gunmen opened fire near a barbershop and laundromat in Queens, NBC New York reports. New York City police are now searching for the shooters and two getaway drivers who helped them flee the scene on mopeds. They were described as wearing face masks and hoodies.

The victims of the "brazen, coordinated attack" ranged in age from 19 to 72. No fatalities were reported. All are expected to survive their injuries, which police said were mostly to the legs.

Chief Detective James Essig with the New York Police Department said that the incident is believed at this time to be gang-motivated. Three of the people that were shot are reportedly known members of the Trinitarios gang. The seven other victims were in the area for a birthday party at a nearby restaurant.

At least 40 shell casings had been retrieved from the scene as of Sunday morning. The extent of the shooting was so great that investigators were still turning up new casings over seven hours after the shooting ended.

"There's just one common theme, I want to get out there, that's a recurring theme that keeps happening, and it has to stop throughout the city," Essig said in a statement. "That's gang members. That's guns, multiple guns on the scene, scooters being used, masks. And lastly, unintended targets getting hit. This is unacceptable on our streets in New York City, and it has to stop."

Newsweek reached out to the NYPD for comment or update on this story and was referred to the department's Twitter page.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in July declared gun violence to be a disaster emergency in the state. Cuomo went so far as to say that guns are responsible for more deaths in New York than COVID-19.

"We went from one epidemic to another," Cuomo said. "We went from COVID to the epidemic of gun violence and the fear, and the death, that goes along with it. It's so bad when you look at the recent numbers, more people are dying of gun violence than of COVID."

Cuomo outlined seven points he hopes to address in curbing gun violence: treat gun violence like the emergency public health issue it is; target hotspots with data and science; positive engagement for at-risk youth, break the cycle of escalating violence, get illegal guns off the streets, keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, and rebuild the police-community relationship.