Two rappers shot, killed — among 10 shot over weekend in four boroughs

Kenny Jimenez, 21, and Francisco Mercedez, 29, were chatting with a group of people in front of the Fedel Gourmet Deli in Harlem when shooting broke out.

BY EDGAR SANDOVAL , RYAN SIT , ELI ROSENBERG
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, August 17, 2014, 2:42 PM

Two aspiring rappers were shot to death during a festive summer weekend that turned frightening after ten people were shot in four boroughs, police said.

Kenny Jimenez, 21, and Francisco Mercedez, 29, were chatting with a group of eight people in front of the Fedel Gourmet Deli in Harlem, when a gunner pulled up and opened fire at 2:53 a.m. Sunday, cops said.

Witnesses said the gunman sped off after the shooting.

Fior Beras, 32, was standing with the group when she suddenly saw the two victims were down.

"I turned around and saw them both on the floor," she said.
According to authorities, Jimenez was shot in the neck, while Mercedez was shot in the back.

The two were aspiring rappers, fresh off a performance in the Bronx, according to their neighbors.

MARC A. HERMANN/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Kenny Jimenez, 21, and Francisco Mercedez, 29, were aspiring rappers.

Neighbor Anthony Hairston, 37, said he spoke to Jimenez's family. "It's a sad day in the neighborhood," he said hugging his 12-year-old son Marquis who used to play around with Jimenez. "They didn't deserve to die like this."

Police said they had made no arrests.

The deaths capped a night of mayhem that wounded people in Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. In Brooklyn, a man was shot and injured at Van Buren St. and Lewis St. at 3 a.m., according to police.

Earlier in the night three teenagers were shot by a gunman who opened fire at 10 p.m. East Harlem's Jefferson Park, which was thick with revelers enjoying barbecues and parties.

A 17- and 18-year-old were shot in the legs, while another 18-year-old was hit in the buttocks, authorities said.

All three victims were in stable condition.

MARC A. HERMANN/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
The location where Kenny Jimenez, 21, and Francisco Mercedez, 29, were fatally shot.

In Queens, two gunman opened fire in South Jamaica at 6 a.m., striking four people after unloading more than a dozen rounds according to police.

The victims were taken from 153-29 118 Ave. to Jamaica Hospital, one in critical condition.

Residents said the night of chaos set them on edge.

"This is traumatizing. I feel like I live in the hood," said Enzo Holman, 27 who lives on 118th Ave. and was awoken by the sounds of gunfire. "If I was ever thinking about moving, this would make me move."

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