Police said they found a man fatally shot in the head, “half-hanging” out of a van Thursday in Queens, New York, according to multiple reports.
The 43-year-old man was found “half-hanging” out of a U-Haul van full of marijuana with a gunshot wound to the head, the New York Post (NYP) reported, citing law enforcement sources. Shots apparently rang out around 1:05 a.m. in front of a home in Bayside, Queens, according to New York Daily News.
The victim, who has not been identified, was declared deceased at the scene, according to the NYP. (RELATED: Pedestrians Hit And Dragged By U-Haul Truck In Brooklyn, Bomb Squad Responds)
Another man at the scene of the incident, a 21-year-old, told local police that his phone was stolen, the outlet noted.
The 21-year-old was not harmed in the alleged robbery, according to police, New York Daily News reported. Police are reportedly interviewing the victim.
It remains unclear if the two incidents are connected, the NYP reported. The incident is reportedly under investigation by the New York Police Department (NYPD).
There have been no arrests made so far, the NYP reported.
U-Haul driver fatally shot — and cops find van packed with marijuana https://t.co/0QKMEhVCZj pic.twitter.com/UvC8HiWcDC
— New York Post (@nypost) July 25, 2024
In April, a man was found shot in the head in the back of an abandoned U-Haul truck in Los Angeles, police said, according to KTLA News. The truck was reported to authorities by a local resident who said it was disrupting traffic, the outlet noted.
An employee with U-Haul was dispatched to retrieve the truck and ultimately discovered what appeared to be a human body wrapped in a tarp in the truck’s cargo space, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said, KTLA reported.
The victim was later found to be Henry Jernigan, the Los Angeles County Department of the Medical Examiner announced, according to ABC7. He was reportedly a convicted felon, authorities said.