A 42-year-old man was shot and wounded as an early-morning shooting erupted on a Queens street Saturday, police said.
The victim was on Steinway St. near 31st Ave. in Astoria about 6:36 a.m. when the gunman opened fire, cops said. The victim was hit in the left leg.
Responding officers rushed the wounded man, found bleeding near a bench, to Elmhurst Hospital in their police cruiser, officials said.
He was expected to survive his injuries, cops said.
A motive for the shooting was not immediately disclosed.
Witnesses saw a white SUV driving off from the scene after shots rang out, cops said. The shooting, neighbors said, may have been connected to a party venue nearby.
Detectives have made no arrests as they continue canvassing for surveillance footage of the incident.
A large amount of blood, as well as the victim’s pants, were found on the sidewalk Saturday morning as cops and crime scene investigators looked over the scene and interviewed witnesses, which included two women, one wearing a pink coat.
The shooting comes as cops celebrate an 11% drop in shooting incidents across the five boroughs this year, from 572 to 508 as of Oct. 11, according to the latest available NYPD statistics.
