Separate Shootings Leave Seven Dead

Late last night and early this morning, shootings in Brooklyn and Manhattan have left five people dead. The shooting in Brooklyn occurred near midnight: Three men, ages 18, 21 and 36, were shot multiple times on Lott Avenue, in the Brownsville section. Police are still looking for the shooter. And in Harlem, a 17-year-old and 27-year-old were shot dead outside 404 East 105th Street around 4:30AM. Three men were reportedly seen fleeing the scene.

In East New York, a couple was found dead in their bed, with gunshot wounds to each of their heads. Police say it's a "possible murder-suicide," since a gun was found near the man's body, but an investigation is ongoing. The AP reports a concerned relative discovered the body because a child (either their own or another family member's) wasn't picked up.

Based on the latest information from the NYPD for the week ending June 3, there have been 191 murders in 2007 so far. Compared with the year-to-date number of murders in 2006 (225), the 2007 number is is 15% lower, but only 3% versus 2005's YTD murder rate.