Family mourns Queens construction worker shot dead by two gunmen on moped: ‘He cared about everybody’
The family of a Queens construction worker shot dead by two gunmen on a moped struggled Monday to make sense of his sudden death.
Edwin Naula, 28, was killed Sunday afternoon as he walked home from lunch at his favorite seafood restaurant with two of his brothers and a friend, who were all wounded in the attack.
“He brought light to the room,” said Naula’s sister, Kelly Naula, 25. “He was never in a bad mood, always smiling. He cared about everybody. He was not a selfish person.”
Edwin Naula and the other men were outside a house on 41st Ave. near Warren St. in Elmhurst when the gun-toting duo rode past on a moped and opened fire about 1:30 p.m., police said.
“I heard yelling, and I heard about three shots,” said one resident on the block.
Medics rushed Edwin Naula to Elmhurst Hospital Center, but he could not be saved.
The three other wounded men — a 26-year-old shot in the hand, a 29-year-old man blasted in the cheek and arm and a 32-year-old man hit in the torso — were taken to the same hospital in stable condition.
No arrests have been made, and it’s not yet clear who was targeted or why.
Though numerous people were outside on the street when bullets flew, no witnesses came forward, according to a cop at the scene.
The victim’s sister, an active military member who flew to the city from Florida when she got the bad news, said she could always count on her brother to visit her, no matter where she was stationed.
“He came to California, and we went to Universal Studios and hiked to the Hollywood sign,” Kelly Naula said.
Other family members said they were as perplexed as the sister. Edwin Naula was involved in community service projects including community cleanups and enjoyed fishing. He worked in construction and was devoted to his pet Siberian husky, named Rocket.
”He wasn’t armed. He was walking, they went out to eat and he would always pay,” said brother Edgar Naula, 22, who called the attackers “lowlifes.”
The victim, in death, may still help someone else. “He was an organ donor, but only his eyes were salvageable,” his sister said.
“I just want justice,” said the victim’s crying father, Raul Naula, 58. “What else can I say?”
So far this year, five people have been killed in the 110th Precinct, which covers Elmhurst, through Sunday, compared with three by the same point last year, a 67% spike. Citywide, murders are down 13% so far this year compared with last.
Shootings in the precinct are also up, with 13 people shot this year through Sunday compared with eight victims in the same timeframe last year, an 86% surge.
Shootings are down citywide, with 1,206 people shot so far this year compared with 1,375 by this time last year, a 12% drop.
