A driver was shot in the head in Queens on Monday, sending his out-of-control vehicle into a woman crossing an intersection before crashing into a building, police said.
The horrific attack took place at 4 p.m., when the 66-year-old driver, whose name was not immediately released, was going through the intersection at 117th Rd. and Farmers Blvd. in St. Albans just as a bullet hit him in the head, according to police, setting off the horrific chain of events.
“I heard the bang. It was the car crashing into the building across the street,” said Roberto Tendilla, 32, manager of A&E supermarket near the intersection. “It was crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it in the 17 years I’ve worked here.”
Several witnesses said the driver may not have been the intended target of the shooting, but rather was struck by a stray bullet fired by someone in a group of teenagers fighting in the parking lot of a nearby Popeyes.
The shooting “appears to be random,” a police source told the Daily News.
“The kids that shot him started running that way,” Tendilla said, pointing in the direction of 177th Rd.
“There was a gunshot and a bunch of kids fighting in the parking lot,” said another witness, who did not want to give his name. “He went onto the sidewalk and crashed into the building.” The driver “was covered in blood,” they added.
EMTs transported the driver to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition, police said.
Officers confirmed after the driver was shot, he plowed into a female pedestrian; Police could not immediately provide information on her condition.
The investigation is ongoing.
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