NYC scooter mass shooter has prior arrest, mental health issues: police

The gunman that went on a shooting spree while riding a motorized scooter in New York City on Saturday is a repeat offender with a prior arrest and mental health issues, according to NBC News. 

On Saturday, the 25-year-old unidentified suspect shot multiple people in a shooting spree that began around 11:10 am and lasted for approx. two hours throughout Brooklyn and Queens. One victim died and three were injured. The suspect was taken into custody, according to police.

New York Police First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban said during a news conference that the suspect has a prior arrest and police believe that the shooting was "random." Detectives are working to find a motive.

Police officers confiscated a 9mm semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine and an "illegal" scooter without plates at the time of the arrest, Caban said.

Assistant Chief Joseph Kenny said at the news conference that three injured victims were ages 21, 44, and 63, while the deceased victim was 87 years old.

"The perpetrator was described as a male on a scooter firing at a nail salon on Jamaica Avenue," Kenny said.

According to Kenny, the first victim in the attack was a 21-year-old male that is expected to survive. He was shot from behind by the alleged suspect in Brooklyn.

The suspect then made his way to Queens where he shot and killed an 87-year-old male seventeen minutes after the first attack. The victim, who has not yet been identified, was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead, police said.

The suspect fired off another round in the same location moments later but no bystanders were struck by that bullet.

"Numerous witnesses described the male on a scooter randomly firing at a group of people that was standing on the corner," Kenny said.

The suspect allegedly shot a 44-year-old man in the face as he stood on a street corner less than a mile away from the second attack. The man is hospitalized in critical condition.

Police said that the final victim, a 63-year-old male, was shot in the shoulder a few blocks away and was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Officers recovered multiple 9mm shell casings at the scene, police said.

The suspect was taken into custody roughly ten blocks away, nearly two hours after the shooting spree began. Officers recognized the suspect from security footage that had been distributed to "every cop in the street," Assistant Chief Joseph Kenny said.

"At this time, we don't know the motive," Kenny said. "It seems that it's actually random if you look at the demographics and pedigree of the victims. They're all different at this time."