Queens shooting is first homicide of 2017: police

New York City’s first known homicide of 2017 took the life of a 31-year-old man who was shot Monday morning during an attempted robbery in Queens.

Ricky Kalisaran was fatally shot in the chest and his brother Sunny Kalisaran, 24, was hospitalized after trying to disarm a robber on124th Street near Liberty Avenue in South Richmond Hill at around 3:25 a.m., police said.

Friends told news reporters that the younger brother was unaware his sibling had died when he was taken to Jamaica Hospital for gunshot wounds to his back.

The brothers were walking from The Underground Lounge to their gray Infiniti after 3 a.m. when the gunman demanded their valuables.

According to police, the brothers refused to hand anything over and instead struggled for the gun.

An accomplice in a dark sedan pulled up and drove off with the gunman, police said. A few blocks away, the getaway car crashed into another car and then sped away on the Belt Parkway, reported the New York Daily News. No other injuries were reported.

A co-worker told the Daily News that he believes Sunny Kalisaran was the target because of his flashy gold chain — and that others had tried to rob him of it previously.

“He’s told me he used to go to different clubs, people (tried) to rob him for his chain, his jewelry,” said the co-worker, identified as Martin, 36.

Residents said they have witnessed many fights, crimes and disturbances coming from The Underground Lounge over the years.

“We’ve been waking up to many fights before,” said Jennifer, 30, to the Daily News.

“I’ve lived here since I was 3, and I’m 30. Every day you hear someone from this neighborhood is passing away, and it’s so sad, it really is.”