A 21-year-old woman was fatally shot Friday night after a man chased her into her Queens apartment and fired multiple rounds, police said.
Officers responding to an assault call around 9:30 p.m. found Dashanna Donovan inside an apartment on 96th Street near 31st Avenue in East Elmhurst with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, according to police and sources. Several shell casings were scattered across the apartment floor and the walls were struck by bullets, investigators said. No arrests had been announced as of Saturday afternoon.
Police said they obtained surveillance video that shows a man armed with a firearm chasing the woman into the building before shots were fired. Authorities have not released the identity of a suspect or detailed the nature of the relationship, if any, between the victim and the gunman.
Donovan’s mother, Helena Hypolite, told reporters her daughter was pursued and that family members do not know who carried out the shooting. “I feel broken like a piece of me is gone,” Hypolite said. She described her daughter as a graduate of the High School for Public Service in Brooklyn who was born in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and loved to dance.
A neighbor who said he was sitting across the street when the shooting occurred told reporters he heard three quick gunshots. “We were sitting outside enjoying the last of the summer,” he said. “I heard three shots — pop, pop, pop — one after the other.” The neighbor said he ran inside along with others because they did not know what was happening.
Investigators continued to process the scene Saturday and were reviewing the surveillance footage. Police urged anyone with information to contact detectives. Law-enforcement sources declined to comment on a possible motive while the investigation is underway.
Family members and neighbors expressed grief and appealed for justice, with Hypolite urging the person responsible to turn himself in. She also used the opportunity to call for an end to gun violence. “Some people are ignorant. They let their anger get the better of them,” she said.
The killing adds to public concern about gun violence in New York City and nationally, where debates over public safety and firearms policy remain active topics among lawmakers and communities. Local police officials said the department will continue canvassing the neighborhood and reviewing video and other evidence as they seek to identify and locate the shooter.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact the NYPD or Crime Stoppers. No charges had been filed as of Saturday afternoon, and the investigation remained ongoing.