Police look into gang angle in Westbury shooting

A combination of teenage bravado and street gang disputes may have led to the shooting ambush that killed one teenager and wounded three others in the parking lot of a Westbury nightclub, authorities said Monday.

Edwin Jovani Mejia-Alvarado, 17, of Westbury and three male friends -- two aged 21 and one 19 -- had just left a "Teen Night" dance Sunday night at the club and were sitting in a green Honda when at least two armed suspects took aim at about 11:15 p.m.

A hail of bullets filled the car parked at the rear of Don Juan restaurant's Club La Boom on Old Country Road -- across the street from The Mall at The Source, Nassau police said.

The shooters fled, leaving shell casings behind. Police had no detailed descriptions of the suspects. It was unclear whether the shooters attended the dance.

Most of the 160 clubgoers inside didn't hear the gunshots over the loud music, police said.

All but Mejia-Alvarado, who died after he suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and arm, stumbled out of the car and collapsed on the pavement, police said.

Paramedics responding to the shooting pulled Mejia-Alvarado from the car, its glass riddled with bullet holes.

"This was an assassination attempt on four young men," said Det. Lt. Michael Fleming, commander of Nassau's Homicide Squad. "These shots were obviously intended to kill the occupants inside. The shooters knew what they were doing."

Investigators are exploring, among other things, the possibility that many who attended the dance were affiliated with gangs, Fleming said. He added that heated words and displays of bravado may have preceded the shooting.

The shooting survivors were taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow and Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola.

Police did not identify the wounded. The two 21-year-olds were listed in critical condition Monday. The 19-year-old man was in stable condition.

One of the two in critical condition was identified by his brother as Jose Guevara of Westbury. The brother, Mario Guevara, 24, also of Westbury, said his younger brother was shot in the torso and was not expected to regain consciousness for two to four days.

"The only thing that's important to me is that my brother is alive," Guevara said. "What happened, happened and whoever did this, it's already done. He will face justice."

Close friends and relatives identified the 19-year-old man as Jose Lopez of Westbury.

A group of friends rushing to the hospital to see Lopez emerged from his room after visiting him. Four of them flipped open their cell phones to call other friends to tell them how he was doing.

Lopez works in construction as a roofer, they said.

"My brother is not in a gang," said Lazaro Lopez, 35, Lopez's only close relative in the United States. "He's a responsible person who works and sends money to his mother and siblings. As far as I know, he had no enemies."

A friend of Lopez's family, Fani, 39, said she rushed to Don Juan's after he called her to say, "We've been shot." Fani did not want to give her last name for fear of revenge.

She said he told her they were in the car when they were gunned down. Lopez has been living with her in Westbury since he came from El Salvador three years ago, she said. "We have no idea why all this happened," she said.

Third Precinct officers couldn't recall this level of violence at the club before, said Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone, a Nassau police spokesman.

But there have been previous problems, mostly in the parking lot with crowds gathering and becoming a nuisance to neighbors, who have called in noise and disturbance complaints, Repalone said.

For most of the day Monday, police continued to cordon off the Don Juan restaurant and the nightclub with tape. The owner couldn't be reached Monday night for comment.

Police said the business owner, club patrons and worried parents were cooperating with police efforts following the shooting. However, investigators didn't have any leads on suspects Monday.

Detectives ask anyone with information about the shooting to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.

By BY MICHAEL FRAZIER
Posted Saturday, February 23, 2008

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