A South Ozone Park man was the only victim in Queens included in the tally of violent shootings throughout the city last week that left seven people dead and at least two dozen others injured. There were 22 separate shooting incidents over a 72-hour period beginning on Friday.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has stepped up patrols in a concentrated effort to quell gun violence in the city.
Kelly Mullins, 33, was parked in his car outside a housing project about 6:50 a.m. at 106-36 159th St., police said. He was outside the building where his ex-wife lives to pick up his 4-year-old daughter for school.
It was then police say that a man approached his vehicle and fired at least 5 or 6 shots, hitting Mullins twice and killing him. Published reports say he was on the phone with his step sister at the time of his death.
Police are vigorously pursuing all leads in the case but as of yet have not made any arrest. Sources say there is a possibility the shooter knew Mullins’ ex-wife, Cameo.
A resident from a building down the street from where the shooting occurred, Thomas Jackson told reporters he awoke to “five or six gunshots” but waited to come outside until he saw police arriving through the window.
A family photo of slain Kelly Mullins with his former wife and their infant daughter.
Mullins mother, Kathryn Mullins described her son as a devoted father who loved his daughter more than anything. She said her son and the child’s mother had been married for six years before they got divorced a couple of years ago and that her ex-daughter-in-law was not a bad person.
Kelly Mullins was one of six others that met with death since Friday in what was a record 72 hours for gun violence in the city.
NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly says his department will respond to this by stepping up foot patrols in all housing projects citywide. In addition, mobile surveillance vehicles and towers will be deployed to the areas in which the shootings occurred, extra plain clothes detectives have been dispatched to the areas during the shooting prone times.
Warrant Division officers will also be focusing in the nine commands where the shootings took place and rounding up as many people having open warrants as possible.
Much resource has also been directed to monitor gang activity in anticipation of retaliation by rival factions.
By Patricia Adams
