25-Year-Old Man Fatally Shot At Newkirk Avenue & E. 17th Street Early Wednesday Morning

A 25-year-old man was shot and killed early Wednesday morning in a black BMW sedan at the corner of Newkirk Avenue and E. 17th Street — the same location where neighbor Raphael Kurton was fatally shot at the end of May, the NYPD said.

The victim, whose identity has not been released, was found with gunshot wounds “about the body” at 12:49am and was brought to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

There has been no arrest, and the investigation is ongoing, according to the NYPD.

This homicide is the latest incident in a string of violent crimes that has happened in our neighborhood, including two men being shot at 862 Coney Island Avenue Monday night, a man being shot in the head on E. 21st Street, and another individual being shot in the head on Crooke Avenue.

It also follows the death of Kurton 27, who too was fatally shot at Newkirk and E. 17th Street — right by the Smoke Shop & Deli at 1624 Newkirk Avenue, where the owner has told us they have had problems with rowdy, and often armed, teenagers congregating outside the business almost every day.

“We really need a police camera on the corner,” Bashar told us after a vigil held for Kurton at the end of May.

This series of events has left our community rattled, and later today we’ll be doing a longer post about these crimes, including about what connection they have to one another, what lawmakers and police are doing to address them, what can be done to make our neighborhood safer, and more.

If you would like to share your thoughts about these crimes, feel free to do so in the comments below or email us at editor@ditmasparkcorner.com.