4 people shot City of Poughkeepsie, NY

[lazb...@optonline.net]

Three of the four people who were shot in the parking lot of a City of Poughkeepsie bar early this morning were still hospitalized as of noon today, police said.

The injured parties apparently drove themselves to Vassar Brothers Medical Center's emergency room, according to police, who received the information from emergency room staff, they said.

The circumstances of the shooting are under investigation and police are asking for anyone with information to call their tip line at 845-451-7577.

The incident was reported at 3:24 a.m., said City of Poughkeepsie police Detective Sgt. Matt Clark. No one was killed, he said. They received multiple calls from 911.

At about 10 a.m. today, a City of Poughkeepsie Crime Scene Unit truck was parked in front of The Corner Pocket bar and police were seen extracting bullets from the siding of the building. Detectives also searched a grassy patch near the rear of the bar's parking lot.

The bar is at 136 South Avenue, on the corner of Reade Place, across from the Rite Aid.

Neighbors gathered there this morning to watch the investigation.

"It sounded like the wild wild west last night," David Whitaker, a neighbor, said. The 56-year-old bus driver said he heard three groupings of gunshots at about 3 a.m.
He thought at least two guns were involved.

Jimmie Catts, 63, who lives two doors down from the bar was outraged Friday.

"I want to get this bar closed down," he said. "The neighborhood is going down hill. They are bringing Main Street here."

Catts also owns properties nearby and is a custodian at a local school.

Both men alleged the bar attracts the wrong crowd and is a frequent site of criminal activity, from fights to drug sales.

"They are out there in the parking lot at all hours of the night, screaming, hollering," said Catts. "People live here. People work here."

Further details were not immediately available.

Check back later for more information.