Sniper Shootings in Queens

Late Friday night and into Saturday, August 25 and 26, a crazed gun man shot at people in neighborhoods and on highways across Queens, injuring at least four and killing one man from Massapequa Park.

The spree by alleged shooter Matthew Colletta, from Woodhaven, began in Maspeth and included shots fired at people and cars in Kew Gardens, Forest Hills/Glendale, Flushing, Bayside, and Long Island City. See the NY Times for complete coverage and the map showing the random path of destruction.

There appears to be no real motive for the killing and shootings, with the suspect having a history of mental illness and drug abuse. Some cars were targeted apparently just because they were the color red. How sick.

Although most victims suffered minor injuries, a Long Island man lost his life:

The man who was killed was identified as Todd Upton, 51, of Massapequa Park. He and his wife had been returning home to Long Island on the Cross Island Expressway Friday night after dropping off their daughter at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the Queens district attorney, Richard A. Brown, said.

It's impossible to fathom such evil. We can only be glad that the NYPD finally caught the culprit, and give our condolences to the Upton family.

• Man Arrested After Spree of Shootings Across Queens [NY Times]
• Remembering family man caught in random shooting [Newsday]