SEATTLE - A woman was killed and two people were injured on Monday in a shooting near a migrant shelter in New York City. The incident took place after gunman fired on a crowd that had gathered in a park on Randall's Island, NYPD said. A 31-year-old woman who was shot in the back and a 32-year-old man who was shot in the throat were hospitalized and remain in stable condition
At least two of the people who were shot were believed to live in the shelter, including the woman who died, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said. Authorities say they are looking for at least two men. One of the suspects fled on a moped and the other one was able to get away in a vehicle with New Mexico license plates.
Detectives believe the shooting stemmed from the robbery of a necklace, with the suspect opening fire about 100 feet away from the shelter where a group of about 50 people were gathered. So far, there have not been any arrests made.
"We do know why they were there — many were celebrating the election in Venezuela," NYPD spokesperson Tarik Sheppard said.
On July 29, Venezuela's National Electoral Council announced that President Nicolás Maduro had won a third six-year term, defeating Edmundo González, the opposition's candidate. The results have been widely disputed as the government has not presented supporting documentation, and protests have been rocking the country ever since.
The incident happened at a migrant shelter located in Randall's Island, the largest shelter in the entire city for asylum seekers, housing up to 3,000 people on any given night. The complex, which includes a series of tents for sleeping and others for dining and bathroom facilities, sits on sports fields at the island's southernmost tip.
It is not the first time tragedy strikes the shelter. In January, a 24-year-old Venezuelan man was fatally stabbed inside the shelter. Also in January, a brawl ended with another young man being hospitalized with stab wounds and more than a dozen people were arrested.
Most recently in July, police impounded more than a dozen unregistered cars and scooters linked to asylum seekers at the shelter.
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