A 42-year-old man was shot in the left leg on a Queens sidewalk early Saturday morning, bleeding near a bench as a gunman opened fire and fled the scene. The shooting erupted on Steinway Street near 31st Avenue in Astoria at about 6:36 a.m., leaving a trail of blood and a pair of discarded pants behind on the pavement.
Responding officers rushed the wounded man to Elmhurst Hospital in their own police cruiser rather than wait for an ambulance, according to the New York Daily News, which first reported the shooting. He was expected to survive his injuries, police said. Witnesses told investigators they saw a white SUV driving away from the scene after shots rang out, though police have not disclosed a motive for the attack.
Crime scene investigators recovered a large amount of blood and the victim's pants on the sidewalk as they worked to piece together what happened. Detectives interviewed witnesses at the scene, including two women, one of whom was wearing a pink coat, per the same report. Neighbors suggested the shooting may have been connected to a nearby party venue, though that detail has not been confirmed by police.
No Arrests, No Motive Disclosed
As of Saturday, detectives had made no arrests in the case and were continuing to canvass the area for surveillance footage that might show the gunman or the fleeing SUV. The lack of a confirmed motive leaves the shooting as one more open case in a neighborhood that has seen a string of gun violence in recent months.
Astoria's Recent String of Shootings
The Steinway Street shooting is the latest in a series of violent incidents to hit Astoria this year. On September 24, police said a gunman killed a 45-year-old man outside the Riviera Gentleman's Club at 34-48 Steinway Street during what investigators described as an attempted robbery. According to amNY, the gunman approached the victim from behind, tried to rob him of jewelry, and opened fire during the struggle, striking him in the back before fleeing in an SUV on 35th Avenue. It was not believed the shooter took any of the victim's belongings. That victim was also rushed to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition but later died.
Weeks earlier, on August 26, a separate shootout in Astoria left two men wounded, one shot in the right leg and another struck in both the right arm and left leg. Queens prosecutors charged a South Ozone Park man, 19-year-old Albert Pena, with attempted murder in connection with that shooting, according to QNS, which reported that Pena himself was also shot during the incident. He was arraigned on August 27 and pleaded not guilty before Queens Criminal Court Judge Jennifer Saint Preux, who set bail at $100,000 bond or $50,000 cash.
Citywide Numbers Don't Match Local Reality
The violence in Astoria stands in contrast to the citywide trend the NYPD has touted this year. Department statistics show shooting incidents across New York City's five boroughs fell 11%, from 572 to 508, as of October 11, according to figures cited in the Daily News report. Separately, the NYPD has credited itself with the fewest shooting incidents, shooting victims and murders in recorded history for the first nine months of 2026, per a statement posted on the city's official website.
Yet precinct-level numbers around the Riviera Gentleman's Club killing tell a murkier story. ABC7 New York reported that the killing marked the fifth homicide this year in the 114th Precinct, which covers Astoria, compared with two homicides at the same point last year. AmNY, however, reported that murders in the 114th Precinct had doubled this year, from two at the same point last year to four in 2026 — a discrepancy that remains unresolved between the two accounts.
It is not known whether Saturday's shooting on Steinway Street is connected to either the September homicide outside the strip club or the August shootout involving Pena. Police have not indicated any link between the incidents, and the investigation into the latest shooting remains active as detectives continue to review surveillance footage and interview witnesses.
