3 shot and killed in Queens and Bronx over the weekend, including brothers, NYPD says

Three New Yorkers were killed by gun violence over the weekend, including two brothers who died in what police say was a murder-suicide in Queens.

Around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, NYPD officers responded to a 911 call at a home on 111th Street and 95th Avenue in Richmond Hill. When police arrived, they found 27-year-old Vipanpal Multani unconscious and unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds and his 52-year-old mother with a gunshot wound to the torso, officials said.

As emergency medical workers arrived on scene, the officers found 33-year-old Karamjit Multani about a block away with a gunshot wound to his head and a firearm next to his body.

According to the NYPD, police determined that Karamjit had shot his brother, Vipanpal, and his mother before turning the gun on himself down the street from the family’s home.

Officials said the brothers were pronounced dead at the scene. Their mother — whom officials have not identified — was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.

Police said the killings stemmed from a verbal dispute but were not sure what exactly sparked the argument. Officials could not immediately say whether police had been called to address domestic issues at the home in the past.

Man killed in Queens shooting

Around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, a 29-year-old man was shot in the head and chest near Sacket Avenue and Williamsbridge Road in the Bronx’s Morris Park neighborhood, NYPD officials said.

Police were still investigating the shooting on Monday and had few details about the case. They identified the victim as Kelvin Sims of the Bronx as they searched for potential suspects.

Summer shooting uptick

The shootings in the Queens and Bronx come amid a steady uptick in gun violence that typically happens every year during the warmer months, according to criminology experts.

Christopher Herrmann, an associate professor at CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice who studies gun violence, said shootings usually increase about 30% in New York City over the summer.

“We see more people taking vacation time, more people spending time outdoors, more people drinking alcohol or consuming more alcohol,” Herrmann said. “And then we see a lot more people getting together in groups, whether it's family parties or it's get togethers at a park or get together at a NYCHA development.”

Herrmann said shootings also tend to be concentrated on days and at times when people are more likely to have free time to gather and party.

“We see a lot more gun violence on the weekends, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” he said. “We see a lot more gun violence, in the evening and nighttime, typically between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.”

The most recent crime data released by the NYPD shows more shootings were reported in the city last month than in May 2023. Nine more people were shot last month (108) than in the same month last year (99).

Shootings are trending down overall citywide, according to the data. There were 47 fewer shootings and 56 fewer victims from January to May 31 this year compared to the same period in 2023.

This story has been updated with new information from the NYPD. Bahar Ostadan contributed reporting.