KEW GARDENS, Queens (WABC) The Queens hotel that was the site of New York City s first shooting homicide of 2021 on New Year s Day has reportedly closed.
The New York Post says the Umbrella Hotel in Kew Gardens now has hotel closed signs posted in the lobby.
A group who rented a room at the Umbrella Hotel for a New Year s Eve party got into a street dispute with another group when 20-year-old Robert Williams was killed in a triple shooting. 2 others were injured.
This week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would move to have the hotel shut down.
It has been been a violent start to 2021.
At least seven people have been shot already in the city.
That includes a triple shooting outside a Queens hotel that was fatal.
A group who rented a room at the Umbrella Hotel for a New Year s Eve party got into a street dispute with another group.
A 20-year-old man died in front of the hotel on Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens just after 1:10 a.m.
A 40-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were taken to the hospital.
So far, police have not made any arrests. The investigation is ongoing. Today s fatal shooting at the Umbrella Hotel near Queens Borough Hall was a sad and troubling way to start the New Year, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said in a statement. Whoever is responsible for this heinous crime must swiftly be brought to justice. It is also time for the Umbrella Hotel, which has already been cited for numerous public safety violations, to be shut down. This hotel is a public nuisance that has no place in Kew Gardens
Queens shooting is NYC s first reported homicide of 2021 Follow Us
Question of the Day By - Associated Press - Friday, January 1, 2021
NEW YORK (AP) - One man was fatally shot and two others were wounded at a Queens hotel early Friday, marking New York City’s first reported homicide of 2021, police said.
Police responded to a 911 call just after 1 a.m. and found the victims outside the Umbrella Hotel in Kew Gardens. Two 20-year-old men and one 40-year-old man were taken to hospitals with gunshot wounds, police said.
One of the 20-year-olds was pronounced dead. His name was not immediately released. The 40-year-old victim was in critical condition and the second 20-year-old was in stable condition, police said. Police have made no arrests.
The older victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition.
Police believe there was one shooter, who remained at large later Friday morning.
The hotel, across from Queens Borough Hall, briefly served as a city-run emergency shelter for homeless families after its initial opening, The Queens Chronicle reported. They should shut it down, area resident Richard Rogers, 52, told the Post. There is too much going on there. There have been shootings, domestic fights….. And, the court is across the street! If they don’t shut it down, it’s going to continue to cause serious problems for the neighborhood, he added. Being I’ve heard of other incidents there, I’m not surprised this happened. It was just a matter of time before someone got killed. This person barely lived to see 2021.