New York, NY — Tragedy struck early Monday when a gunman opened fire in a park on Randall’s Island near a migrant shelter, leaving one woman dead and two others injured. The shooting occurred as a crowd gathered in anticipation of the results from Venezuela’s presidential election.
The incident took place around 3:30 a.m., according to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell. Among the victims were a 44-year-old woman who succumbed to her injuries and a 31-year-old woman, both believed to have been residents of the nearby shelter. A 32-year-old man, also injured in the shooting, is presently hospitalized in stable condition.
Authorities identified the suspected shooter as a man presumably acting in vengeance for a prior robbery. After firing from a distance of approximately 100 feet, the assailant fled the scene on a moped. No arrests have been made in connection with the attack.
The shelter, a response to a sharp increase in migrants, which began operations in August 2023, provides nightly accommodations to some 3,000 individuals on cots arrayed inside vast tents. The site, transformed from athletic fields, also features facilities for dining and sanitation.
Located at the southern tip of Randall’s Island — an area interspersed with parks, fields, and government buildings adjacent to Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx — the shelter serves as New York City’s largest haven for asylum seekers. Its creation was partly influenced by an initiative from Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who directed the transportation of numerous migrants from the border to predominantly Democratic-led cities.
NYPD spokesperson Tarik Sheppard noted that the gathering was in celebration of the electoral event in Venezuela, where President Nicolás Maduro secured a controversial third six-year term earlier that day, outstripping retired diplomat Edmundo González. The election result has sparked widespread protests, including thousands taking to the streets of Caracas in dissent.
Sheppard also explained that as the island is publicly accessible, it’s challenging to confirm if all attendees were shelter residents.
This violent act highlights the vulnerability of migrant communities and underscores the challenges law enforcement faces in maintaining safety in such transient and diverse environments. The city’s efforts to provide for asylum seekers amid fluctuating migrant numbers demonstrate the broader societal and political complexities tied to immigration issues in the United States.
The NYDP maintains an ongoing investigation as the community reels from this jarring episode and the broader implications it holds for security and refugee assistance programs.